


Warlock Cold

by TanteTao



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Diarrhea, Disease, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, Hurt/Comfort, Illness, Lightwood Family, M/M, Medical Procedures, Nudity, Patient Care, Post-Season/Series 02, Vomiting, good parabatai Jace, supportive family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-24 09:00:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 141,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15627291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TanteTao/pseuds/TanteTao
Summary: Warlock Cold – formerly known as the Devil's Plague – is one of the few diseases contagious to warlocks. More than that, it is oftentimes fatal. When Magnus contracts it from a contaminated artifact, Alec resolves that he will not lose Magnus, now quarantined away from other warlocks to prevent spreading of the disease, to it – no matter what it takes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My heartfelt thanks goes to my tireless betas AlterEgon and JC, to F. for answering my endless and somewhat indiscrete questions without complaint, as well as to the wonderful Catastrokey, who created the art for this fic.
> 
> I'd also like to send a big thank you to the hard-working team of the SH Hiatus Big Bang for organizing the whole thing and never giving up.

__

_Day 1_

Alec got up and stretched, wincing at the cracking sounds his spine made. Ever since that attack a week ago, his desk had been inundated with requests, reports, and letters. At least Magnus had found the weakened spot in the wards where the intruders had briefly gained entrance. His boyfriend had refused to just fix the wards in that place and instead insisted on renewing _all_ the wards around the Institute, replacing some with stronger versions.

Although Magnus had spent several days at the Institute, working on the wards, they had barely seen each other, drowning in work as they both were. Some Shadowhunters had been injured and needed to be taken care of in the infirmary, he'd had to call in a Silent Brother for the most critically wounded man, the damage to the Institute had to be assessed and repairs scheduled, he'd had to send out teams to retrace the attackers' steps, a report to Idris had to be sent, the reports of the different teams needed to be read and filed, letters had to be answered… This was the first time in a week that he actually felt he had some breathing space.

After all those Nourishment and Caffeine runes he'd used to substitute meals and hours of sleep this week, he was looking forward to a sandwich and at least nine hours of uninterrupted rest. On his way to the kitchen, he checked his phone for messages and was quite happy to find none. Then he looked at the date again. That couldn't be. Magnus had finished the wards the day before yesterday. He had actually come to Alec's office to tell him and steal a quick kiss. Alec hadn't seen or heard of his boyfriend since. They never went a day without at least texting!

With a feeling of dread, Alec hit the speed-dial for Magnus. He waited. Why was it taking so long? On the eighth ring, the warlock picked up.

"Hello?" His voice sounded strangely hoarse.

"Magnus? Are you all right?" Alec winced at how high and urgent his voice came out.

"Yes, I'm fine."

He started coughing and alarm bells went off in the Nephilim's head. "It's just a cold."

A what?

"But warlocks don't get sick! Everyone knows that!" At least that was what they were taught. Warlocks didn't really get sick because of their magic. Or maybe their magic killed bacteria and viruses before symptoms could manifest. Who knew?

"It's a Warlock Cold. We sometimes get that. I'll just stay in bed and drink lots of tea."

Well, that sounded right if he had a cold, although Alec hadn't heard of a Warlock Cold before. "Do you want me to come over? Make fresh tea for you, tuck you in, keep you company, anything?"

"Thank you, but no." Another hacking cough. "You need to rest after the week you had. I'll be fine."

"Alright, but call me if there's anything I can do. Day or night, I don't care! I love you."

"I will. Love you, too."

The call disconnected, and Alec continued on his way to the kitchen, still feeling uneasy about the way Magnus had sounded.

*

His mind still busy going over his conversation with Magnus again and again while he chewed on a bite of sandwich, Alec didn't even look up when someone else entered the kitchen.

"So, you finally dug yourself out from under all that paperwork then? Good. I was just about ready to come drag you out of your office and off to bed. Even you need more than a few runes to sustain you."

Alec looked up at his smiling _parabatai_ , lifting both his hands in mock surrender. "No need for drama, Jace. I'm done with all the paperwork for now and after this," he indicated the sandwich and glass of water in front of him, "I'm going straight to bed."

Jace poured a glass of water for himself and sat down at the table as well. "If the paperwork's finally done, why do you still look worried? There were no casualties, all injured Shadowhunters save one are back on duty, the repairs are finished and the wards around the Institute are all new and shiny. The teams you sent out found no indication that the attack was part of a bigger threat. You can relax."

Alec sighed. "It's just… Magnus. I didn't see him much this week, and now he has a cold and-" He stopped speaking at the way Jace' face lost all color. Never before had he seen his brother in everything but blood this shade of white, and it frightened him.

"Did you say he has a cold? A Warlock Cold?" The urgency in his _parabatai's_ words caused Alec's stomach to plummet.

"Yes. He said it was just a Warlock Cold and he was going to stay in bed and drink lots of tea until it passed." His voice was hesitant, rough. Jace would never have gone that pale if it was a simple case of a cold, dealt with by sleeping and consuming hot beverages. There had to be something else to it.

"Just a Warlock Cold? There is no _just_ when speaking of a Warlock Cold! Do you have any idea what you're talking about?"

Alec mutely shook his head and watched as Jace rose and started pacing, raking a hand through his hair.

"Do you remember how I told you about the reading assignments my fa-" He swallowed and visibly collected himself. "Valentine gave me? Most were old texts, and a lot of them dealt with Downworlders – their habits, strengths, weaknesses. One of those texts was in Ancient Greek and told about a warlock disease. _Warlock Cold_ is a rather euphemistic modern term for what was described in that book, chosen, no doubt, because of the symptoms so similar to a mundane cold. The Ancient Greek name for the sickness translates to _Devil's Plague_. It is said to wreak havoc with a warlock's magic. According to the book, they don't feel the effects to their magic, unless they try to actually use it. Then, things happen. If they're lucky, their magic will just not work. More often, though, things go wrong. Instead of summoning or conjuring something, they'll set things on fire, make things explode, destroy things. The text spoke of side effects so devastating they killed the warlock."

Alec was quite glad he was sitting down because he wasn't sure he would have been able to remain standing right now. Jace' words painted a horrifying picture, and his knees felt weak and his hands were shaking. His appetite was gone. Unfortunately, his _parabatai_ wasn't done yet.

"While those side effects only happen if the warlock uses his magic, other symptoms appear regardless of magical workings. Among those symptoms are fever, chills, coughing, a runny nose, sinus infection, nausea, aching muscles and headaches. Hence the comparison to a cold, I guess. The infected warlock needs to be taken care of, and no other warlock can or will do it. The disease is highly contagious, and while there is speculation as to whether physical proximity is enough for the disease to jump from warlock to warlock or the working of magic near the sick warlock is necessary, no warlock will be willing to risk it. Since warlocks often don't have close friends among mundanes or other Downworlders, there are records of afflicted warlocks dying of dehydration once they became so weak they couldn't get up anymore."

Swallowing, Alec opened his mouth but was shushed immediately by Jace.

"The book said that the disease only affects warlocks. Apparently they catch it from old books or artifacts. Someone had put a note in the book, stating that in the 20th century the theory evolved that the disease was caused by spores that clung to very old tomes or artifacts. The Greek text stated that younger, weaker warlocks with less control over their magic as well as physically weakened warlocks were especially vulnerable to the sickness whereas magically and physically strong ones had handled contaminated artifacts without getting sick."

"But… that makes no sense!" Alec couldn't hold back that exclamation. "Magnus is the High Warlock of Brooklyn! He is powerful and healthy. How could he catch the disease?"

Jace seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, he could have had contact with an infected warlock. Also, the book didn't speak of magical _potential_ but of magical _strength_. Right now, Magnus used _a lot_ of his magic to renew all the wards around the Institute. He worked for days, with barely a few hours of rest in between. He must have been completely exhausted, physically and magically, by the time he was done. If he came into contact with those spores in that condition, he might not have been strong enough to withstand the disease. It doesn't matter how he actually got sick, though. He _needs_ you now, Alec!"

*

It had taken them about twenty minutes to rouse Izzy, devise a plan to make it possible for Alec to stay with Magnus for up to two weeks without neglecting his duties as Head of the Institute, and help Alec pack everything he was going to need for that time. With a quick hug to Izzy and a promise to call as soon as he knew more, Alec followed Jace to where he kept the flying motorcycle he had _acquired_ from the vampires. This would be a lot quicker than trying to hail a cab at – he checked his watch – half past two in the morning.

The two _parabatai_ embraced for a moment before Jace vanished into the sky and Alec unlocked the front door of the building Magnus lived in. The Nephilim went up to his boyfriend's loft and let himself in. "Magnus? It's Alec," he called out softly as he walked towards the bedroom. He really didn't want to startle his boyfriend into using his magic in defense considering what he had learned about the disease today. When he received no answer, he knocked softly on the bedroom door and listened. There was a small noise, not discernible as words, and he opened the door and slipped in.

"Magnus!" The dim light in the bedroom showed him his boyfriend, sweat-soaked and shivering, laying half in bed and half on the floor as if he'd tried to get up and lacked the strength to do so. In the blink of an eye, Alec knelt next to the warlock and gathered him into his arms. "Oh Magnus!" he groaned. Golden cat eyes blinked open and seemed to take a moment to focus on him.

"Alexander?" Magnus' voice was hoarse and weak.

"Yes, I'm here." Alec reassured his boyfriend. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you!" He was holding Magnus tight, rubbing soothing circles into his back with one hand. "What do you need? What were you trying to get?"

"I was going for a glass… a glass of water…"

"Then you shall have one." He lifted Magnus fully onto the bed and tucked the blankets around him and then made his way to the kitchen.

It didn't take long before Alec was back with a carafe of water and a glass which he put down on the nightstand after pouring some water into it. Then he sat down on the bed, propped Magnus up against his body and held the glass to his lips, tipping it gently. "Small sips now. You can have as much water as you need, as long as you take small sips."

It took some time to get two full glasses of water into Magnus. Finally, Alec put the empty glass back onto the nightstand and turned back to his boyfriend. "Do you need anything else right now?"

Magnus shook his head slightly.

"Then can you tell me what happened? How did you get the Warlock Cold?"

Magnus sighed. "Catarina… yesterday, she called me about a new artifact she'd acquired. So I went over to her place and we studied the item together… by the time I got home I had a headache which I attributed to a combination of the hard work of re-warding the Institute and not enough sleep. So I made myself a nice cup of tea and then went to bed, to sleep it off. I woke up feeling even worse than before, though." He paused. "Wait! Catarina! I should have called her! She needs to know the artifact can cause Warlock Cold!" He made a move as if to grab for his phone, but a coughing fit had him curling in on himself again, gasping for air.

Alec held him and rubbed his back until his breathing calmed again.

"Give me Catarina's number and I will call her in the morning. I don't want to incur her wrath by waking her in the middle of the night."

The corners of Magnus' mouth drew up for the tiniest moment. "You won't wake her. She's working the night shift right now. Use my phone."

"In that case I'll call her right away. You should try to sleep a bit." Alec lowered his boyfriend to the bed and made sure he was covered well by blankets before he stepped into the living room and closed the door behind himself. Time to call Catarina.

*

Magnus had intended to stay awake until Alexander returned but sleep must have claimed him, for when he next opened his eyes, sunlight was spilling in through the bedroom window. He was still feeling like hell, and he was alone. Had he imagined his boyfriend coming to his aid after all?

No. A glance to the nightstand showed him the carafe and the glass he himself would have been too weak to get. So, where was Alexander now?

Since he couldn't use his magic to locate the Nephilim, he concentrated on his hearing. His boyfriend was capable of moving without making any sound, but he most likely wouldn't be bothering with it in the apartment.

A moment later, the sound of bare feet on the floor outside the bedroom door alerted him to the fact that he was getting company. Which was good timing, because he really, really needed a trip to the bathroom and he doubted he could get there on his own.

The door was opened quietly and Alexander stuck his head through. "You're awake. Good morning! How do you feel? Do you need anything?"

Magnus' chuckle at the flood of words quickly turned into a cough.

Immediately, his boyfriend was by his side, helping him sit up, gently patting him on the back. "Easy, Magnus."

Once he managed to get enough oxygen into his lungs, he set to answering the questions. "Good morning to you, too, Alexander. I would really appreciate your help in getting to the bathroom right about now."

The next moment, he felt himself being lifted by strong arms and cradled gently against a broad chest. He was about to protest that he was perfectly capable of walking on his own two legs with a bit of assistance but thought better of it. Walking would be a slow process, and he _really_ needed to go. With a similar reasoning he accepted Alexander's help with taking off the sweat-soaked pajama pants and sitting down. He didn't object, however, when Alexander left the room afterwards. In love or not, there were still some things he preferred to do without company.

*

It took Alexander at least ten minutes to return, and Magnus' eyebrows rose when he realized that his boyfriend was wearing nothing but black shorts. "While I find the view most pleasing, Alexander, I am unfortunately in no shape right now to accept the invitation." His hoarse voice didn't resemble his usual smooth drawl in the least.

Alexander seemed confused for just a moment, then obviously caught on and shook his head with a smile. "While I admit that I really missed spending time with you this week, I wasn't propositioning you. I simply thought you might like to get cleaned up and have a nice soak before you return to bed."

Despite feeling tired, achy and just crappy all around, Magnus couldn't help smiling ear to ear at that. "That actually sounds very good."

Alexander executed an elegant bow, grinning widely himself. "Then I am at your service."

He picked Magnus up gently, carried him over to the big triangular tub and lowered him into it carefully. Then he went to the shower stall to get Magnus' shampoo and favorite body wash. "I'll help you wash off the sweat first, and then you get to soak in hot water for as long as you like – or rather, for as long as the water stays hot without the aid of magic." Alexander turned on the water and grabbed the showerhead when Magnus reached for his wrist.

"Alexander! I heard something. Someone is in the bedroom!"

His boyfriend looked startled for a moment, then kind of nervous. "Calm down, Magnus. It's Jace."

"Jace? What is he doing in my bedroom?"

"Right now, I reckon he's changing your sheets." At Magnus' incredulous look, Alexander went on. "Look, I'll explain it while I help you wash, alright?"

After a moment, Magnus nodded.

Alexander let the warm water run over his boyfriend's head, thoroughly soaking his dark hair.

"So, I did call Catarina last night. She is perfectly fine, and she has assured me that she has shown the tainted artifact in question to no other warlock but you and will make sure that it can't infect anyone else." He shut off the water, squeezed a small amount of shampoo into his palm and started working it into his boyfriend's hair. "She also offered to compile a list of recipes and herbal remedies that might help you, as well as a shopping list based on that information. Jace visited her this morning to get the documents then went shopping for us."

By now, a thick, spicy-smelling lather covered Magnus' head, and Alexander switched to a gentle but thorough head massage that his boyfriend clearly enjoyed. "Catarina also texted me a picture. A symbol that warlocks use to warn others of the Warlock Cold. I drew that on the door downstairs in chalk, so there is no danger that another warlock will come calling and catch the disease. Now, keep your eyes closed while I rinse your hair."

Magnus complied and only opened his eyes again when he felt his boyfriend's hands on his shoulders, working body wash into a lather.

"I also put fresh food and water out for the cats. They seemed quite hungry." Alexander used the exotic-scented lather to wash Magnus' shoulders, back, arms and hands. "After what Jace and Catarina told me about Warlock Cold, I am going to stay here with you until you are well again. Jace, Izzy and I already worked out a plan. They will sort through my calls and mail, determine which concerns are urgent and bring me a list of those, and only those, here twice a day. I will hand them any responses to such concerns that I have worked out, and they'll take them back to the Institute or forward them to the recipient. They will also help out in other ways if the need arises: go grocery shopping, change sheets, do laundry…"

Magnus sighed. The hands of his boyfriend felt good on his skin, and getting rid of the sticky feeling of old sweat was a nice feeling as well. He could definitely get used to this – minus the being-sick part, that was. Alexander had finished with his chest and slid his hands towards his stomach. "That is an awful lot of effort you're all putting into helping me." He hadn't meant to let his surprise seep into his tone.

"Magnus, look at me."

He did.

"I love you. You are like a part of me I have been missing all my life. There isn't much I wouldn't do for you, and I refuse to lose you to this disease. Through our love, you've become a part of my family, and family is precious to us. I didn't have to pressure any of them into helping. They volunteered. Because they care about you."

The intensity of the feelings shining in Alexander's eyes had Magnus speechless.

"So I will stay and take care of you until you've won your battle against that sickness, and they will help me. I know you would do the same for me. _Have_ done the same for me. Let me be here for you now."

Magnus swallowed, and nodded. He wasn't quite used to people actually wanting to do things for him, help him, without having ulterior motives, expecting some reward. It was a rare and very pleasant feeling. "And I love you and am very grateful that you are here. I'm also grateful to your _parabatai_ and your sister for helping you."

Alexander leaned down and rested his forehead against that of his boyfriend, breathing in his scent. "Shall we continue? I was only about halfway done washing you, and Jace has already boiled some thyme in water for that hot bath we talked about."

Magnus nodded, and his boyfriend resumed his ministrations. Only when he'd carefully washed Magnus head to toes did Alexander rinse off the remaining lather. Then he plugged the drain and ran the hot water, watching Magnus to determine the right temperature. "Now, don't go anywhere. I'll just be a moment."

The hot water felt nice and soothing to the Magnus' aching muscles. This was going to be good. He had to clench his hands into fists to resist the urge to make the water flow faster, fill up the tub quicker with his magic.

Alexander returned with two big fluffy towels over one arm and a small, still steaming pot in the other hand. He put the towels on the heated rack, then poured the contents of the pot into the bathwater, carefully avoiding direct contact between the hot fluid and Magnus' skin. Moments later, the intense scent of thyme began to rise from the water.

Magnus inhaled deeply. "This smells nice. Is this one of the herbal remedies Catarina recommended?"

Alexander turned off the water once it almost reached his boyfriend's chin. "Yes. I'm glad you like it." He reached for the warlock's neck and let his fingers play with the hair there. "Now relax and enjoy your bath. I will stay here and keep you company." He smiled. "Feel free to lean back against my hand. I won't let you slip under."

Magnus would have loved to stay in the hot water for hours, Alexander's fingers gently massaging his scalp, keeping his head above water. Without the use of his magic, the water cooled much sooner than he had hoped. He grumbled his disappointment when his boyfriend unplugged the drain, pressed his lips against his sweaty forehead and muttered, lips moving against the damp skin. "Time to get out."

"I don't want to!" It was almost a whine. He could feel Alexander chuckle against his forehead before leaning back.

"So you don't want to go back to bed? The sheets are fresh, and Jace probably even fluffed the pillow. There will also be a big cup of nice, hot tea on the nightstand."

Magnus almost groaned at the thought of crawling between those warm sheets. "Why didn't you say so right away?"

He reached out with his arms to put them around Alexander's neck. The next moment, he was lifted from the tub gently and placed on the soft bath mat in front of it. Then his boyfriend used the heated towels to pat him dry and wrap him up.

When he was picked up again, he practically melted against Alexander bonelessly. Lips pressed against his temple.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me yet. We need to get some fluids into you first."

He tried to nuzzle further into the warm body and practically whined in protest when he was set down. Then he felt the soft sheets beneath him and hummed his approval.

"Magnus, stay with me for a bit longer. You need to drink this."

A cup was put to his lips and tilted slightly, warm liquid spilling into his mouth. Swallowing was a reflex. The fluid tasted of chamomile. Nice. Magnus barely registered the cup being put away, but he did feel himself being lowered to the pillow and covered with warm blankets. He felt relaxed and blissfully warm and _safe_.

Alexander's quiet "Sleep well!" was the last thing he heard for quite a while.


	2. Chapter 2

Alec rolled over with a sigh. His phone was buzzing softly against his hip where he'd stuck it in the waistband of his shorts. It took a bit of blind groping to turn the alarm off before Magnus could wake up. Alec checked on his boyfriend, who was covered in blankets up to his nose, hair stuck to his sweaty face, and deeply asleep. Good. He got up and padded to the kitchen barefoot, rubbing the sleep from his eyes on the way.

Once Magnus had fallen asleep after his bath, Alec had gone to the kitchen and prepared a large pot of beef broth. He'd put all the ingredients in cold water, waited until it boiled and then lowered the temperature to let it simmer for close to two hours – time which he'd used for a nap. He'd just grabbed a pillow and blanket for himself and curled up on the second half of their large bed to catch up on some sleep. Now it was time to check on the broth.

It was still simmering, and when he tasted it he was quite content with the way it had turned out. He quietly went back to the bedroom to make sure Magnus hadn't woken up yet. Satisfied that his boyfriend was still asleep, he turned off the stove and set to pouring the broth through a sieve into another pot. He also put water to boil and spooned dried elderflowers into a tea ball. Magnus would need to drink something again soon the way he was sweating.

He stretched while he waited, loosening tense muscles. Then he poured the boiling water over the elderflowers and let the tea steep.

Since another trip to the bedroom assured him that his boyfriend was still sleeping, Alec went to the fridge and made a sandwich for himself. He hadn't eaten anything since his departure from the institute and his stomach was complaining about it. In between bites he poured the tea into a thermos to keep it hot for Magnus and made a cup of coffee for himself. The caffeine helped against the grogginess he still felt. Anxious to get back to his sleeping boyfriend's side, he made short work of his meal and went back to the bedroom as soon as he had wolfed down the last bite.

*

When Magnus woke up, his skin felt hot and too tight for his body, and a dull but persistent ache was present in all his muscles. His sheets were drenched in sweat, and his hair was wet and plastered to his scalp. His throat was scratchy and raw, his nose felt stuffed and he could have sworn someone had wrapped his brain in several layers of cotton wool while he slept. All in all he felt like shit. And very weak, as he found out when he opened his eyes and tried to wriggle an arm free of the duvet.

Suddenly, a hand that felt blessedly cool against his heated skin was there to fold the cover back and help him sit up and lean back against the headboard.

"Good morning, Magnus. Or rather, good afternoon. How do you feel?"

Alexander's smile was a welcome sight to Magnus, and when his boyfriend laid one hand on his sweaty forehead he leaned into the gentle touch.

"I think your fever has gotten worse." Alexander wore a worried frown.

Magnus tried to speak but had to cough. On the next attempt, he at least managed a croaked "It feels worse."

Alexander let his fingers trail down the side of Magnus' face in a caress. "I'm sorry to hear that. Tea or bathroom first?" He held up a hand when his boyfriend opened his mouth. "Don't try to speak, just blink once for tea or twice for bathroom."

Magnus smiled gratefully and replied by slowly blinking twice.

"Bathroom it is!" Alexander pulled the covers back to the foot of the bed and carefully picked Magnus up, making sure his boyfriend's head rested comfortably against his shoulder.

Magnus glanced down his body as he felt the cool room air hit his skin. All of his skin. He looked at Alexander and raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question.

It took Alexander a moment to decipher the look. Then he grinned. "Well, you fell asleep so quickly after your bath this morning that I was glad I managed to get some tea into you before you passed out. I will help you put on pajamas when we get back from the bathroom."

Magnus just tried to snuggle in closer to Alexander and leech off some of his body heat. He didn't intend to admit it out loud anytime soon, but being carried in his boyfriend's strong arms, cradled against his broad, warm chest was _really_ nice.

Once they reached the bathroom, Alexander gently lowered Magnus onto the toilet seat. "I'll be right back. Please don't try to get up while I'm gone."

Magnus watched him leave the bathroom, glad for the privacy. As weak as he was, he still preferred to do some things without an audience.

*

When Alexander returned to the bathroom, he was carrying a stool and a towel. He placed the former in front of the sink and covered the seat with the latter. Then he turned to his boyfriend.

"I know you feel awful and are probably too weak to stand, but we should really brush your teeth. Ff you feel up to it, I'll also give you a shave before I help you into the tub."

Magnus nodded, not sure yet whether shaving was a good idea. It would feel nice to get rid of several days' worth of stubble, and he liked having Alexander shave his face, but he was also hot and achy and tired. He let his boyfriend carry him over to the stool and help him sit down, then washed his hands.

"Do you think you can brush your teeth if I prepare the toothbrush or would you like some help?" Alexander inquired.

Magnus shrugged. There was no way to know unless he tried. He watched Alexander wet the toothbrush and squeeze some toothpaste onto it, then held out his hand. Brushing his teeth felt strange and took a lot more effort than it should have, but he managed. He actually felt kind of proud as he rinsed his mouth with the water his boyfriend handed to him. It left a nice, fresh taste in his mouth.

Alexander cleaned the toothbrush and glass under running water, then turned back around to Magnus. "Would you like me to shave you? You're growing a beard."

Magnus just raised his eyebrows and gave Alexander's face a pointed look.

Alexander rubbed his hand across the hair on his chin and cheeks and chuckled. "Pot – kettle, I know. I will shave once you are back in bed. So, shave or no shave for you?"

After a moment's hesitation, Magnus shook his head. As much as he usually enjoyed being shaved by Alexander, he just didn't feel up for it right now. He just wanted to get clean, soak in hot water and then get back into bed.

*

Magnus sank back against the pillow with a sigh and accepted the cup of elderflower tea from Alexander. His boyfriend had washed him and then drawn him a spruce-scented bath. While he had soaked in that bath, managing to empty two cups of elderflower tea, Alexander had aired the bedroom, changed the sheets, removed the cooled grease from the beef broth, put a portion of the broth on the stove to heat up and poured the rest of it into containers to store in the fridge. Then, Alexander had lifted Magnus from the tub, patted him dry, gently massaged lotion into his overheated skin and helped him dress in pajamas and fuzzy woolen socks.

Now, Magnus was warm and relaxed and as comfortable as he was going to get while this fever lasted. He could already smell the beef broth in the bowl Alexander was carrying over to him.

Alexander accepted the half-empty teacup from Magnus and then helped his boyfriend lift the bowl to his lips so he could sip the broth.

Magnus hummed in appreciation. "This is really good," he rasped.

Alexander grinned. "Aren't you glad now you're dating the Lightwood who actually knows his way around a kitchen?"

That drew a weak chuckle from Magnus.

*

Once the bowl and teacup were both empty, Alec removed one of the pillows from behind Magnus' back, helped his boyfriend lie down comfortably and tucked the covers around him. Then he sat down on the bed and reached out to gently stroke the side of his boyfriend's face.

Magnus closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

Alec kept up the soft caresses and started to sing in a low voice.

 _"A la claire fontaine_  
M'en allant promener  
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle  
Que je m'y suis baigné  
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime  
Jamais je ne t'oublierai.  
…"

It was a lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he was little. By the third verse, Magnus' breathing had evened out, but Alec finished the song anyway.

*

Only when he was sure that Magnus had fallen into a deep sleep did Alec dare get up from the bed. He badly needed a trip to the bathroom himself, a change of clothes and a shave. Where Magnus had grown some fuzz on his cheeks and chin, _he_ was most definitely sporting a full beard.

He grabbed his duffel bag, went into the bathroom and closed the door as quietly as he could. His clothes went into the hamper that already held the used towels. He would have to pack a bag of laundry for Jace to take with him.

It was with a feeling of regret that he took the electrical razor out of his bag. Magnus had introduced him to the relaxation and enjoyment that was a traditional wet shave – especially when done by someone else, someone he trusted. He wouldn't have wanted a stranger to have a straight razor anywhere near his throat. He didn't feel comfortable though leaving his boyfriend unattended for as long as a wet shave would take when done the right way. So the electrical razor would have to do for now.

*

Clean-shaven, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes, Alec left the bathroom again with his hair still wet. He put his things away, gathered up all the laundry in a large bag and left it next to the apartment door so he wouldn't forget about it later.

On his way to the bedroom, his gaze lingered on the kitchen entrance for a moment. Alec knew he needed to do the dishes and clean up, but he didn't want to be this far from Magnus while his boyfriend's fever was still so high. So he selected a book from the shelves in the living room and went back to the bedroom.

Magnus was still asleep, but he seemed restless and his forehead was set in a frown.

Alec put the book down on the nightstand, sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out with his hand to gently touch his boyfriend's face.

"Shhhh. It's all right. You're safe." Alec kept murmuring reassurances and softly stroking Magnus' face. Soon, he could feel the muscles relax under his fingers. He kept up the caresses for a bit longer, then rose from the mattress with the intention to pick up the book. The moment his fingers lost contact with Magnus' skin, the tension returned to his sick boyfriend's face.

Since the edge of the bed wasn't the most comfortable place to sit for long stretches of time, Alec simply stripped down to his shorts and joined his feverish boyfriend in the bed. It was toasty under the covers, but once Alec had gathered Magnus close against his body and settled his head on his shoulder, his boyfriend relaxed and snuggled in closer.

Alec drifted off to sleep.

*

He woke to the touch of a cool hand against his shoulder and a whispered "Alec?"

 _That_ was not Jace' voice.

He opened his eyes but couldn't make out more than shadows in the dark room. Night had obviously fallen while he'd been asleep. He reached for his stele to activate his Nyx rune and realized that he'd left it with his clothes. So, no night vision for him right now.

His visitor most definitely didn't have the same problem.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I need to talk to you," Clary whispered.

Alec was grateful she made an effort not to disturb Magnus, although he didn't feel all that comfortable talking to her while he was more or less blind.

He reached out his hand towards the nightstand and felt around for the familiar shape of his stele. There! The tips of his fingers made contact with the item in question. Before he could close his fingers around the silver rod though, it slipped over the edge of the nightstand.

Alec heard it hit the wooden floor and roll away. Damn. He really didn't want to climb out of bed in front of Clary, wearing nothing but his underwear, to go hunting for his stele.

"Can you activate my Nyx rune for me?" he asked Clary in a whisper. Without waiting for an answer, he rolled onto his left side, pushed the covers down to expose the rune in question – on his right side across his ribs – and lifted his arm out of the way.

A quiet rustling of clothes was his only warning before he felt the rune being activated. A moment later, his vision adjusted and the room came into focus.

"I'll wait for you in the living room." With those words, Clary left.

Alec carefully disentangled himself from Magnus, climbed out of bed and made sure to tuck the covers around his boyfriend.

*

When Alec, now fully dressed, joined Clary in the living room, she was sitting on the couch, texting someone. Next to her was a small shopping bag, and several documents were on the table in front of her. "Thank you for stopping by. I'm sorry I wasn't awake. What is all this?"

Clary put her phone away and smiled at him. "You're welcome. No need to apologize. Jace told me how bad this disease can get, and I guess you have to grab a few hours of sleep whenever you can. I'm sorry I had to wake you."

Alec waved her concerns away and indicated for her to continue.

"I've brought a few things from the office. The Clave wants an update on Whiteheart's status and is asking whether he would be better off at the hospital in Idris. Jace wrote a reply in your name, including the opinions of the medic and the Silent Brother treating Whiteheart. They suggest moving him to Idris no sooner than the day after tomorrow because of some treatment they need to finish first. That document just needs your signature."

Alec nodded. That sounded entirely sensible to him.

"Then there are two requests to approve small missions. Izzy did a background check and included a summary for you. She recommends you sign off on the missions."

Well, that information told him nothing about the type of mission or the risks involved. He'd need to read through the data his sister had compiled.

"The last page is a list of things Jace and Izzy took care of today. It's just for your information, to keep you up to date with everything concerning the Institute."

Alec hesitated for a moment. He should sign those documents tonight, but he needed to read them first. He trusted Jace and Izzy, of course, but as Head of the Institute it would be completely irresponsible to sign something, anything, without reading it first.

"Can you stay for a bit? I'd like you to take the signed documents back with you tonight, if possible, but it will take me a moment to read all this."

Clary nodded. "Go on, take your time. If it's all right with you, I'll go sit with Magnus while you read. I won't disturb him."

*

With his worries about Magnus soothed by the fact that Clary was keeping an eye on him – aided by her Nyx rune, of course, so she wouldn't disturb his boyfriend's sleep – Alec could actually focus on the documents he was reading.

In the end, he agreed with everything his sister and his _parabatai_ had prepared and just signed.

A look at the clock showed him that it had taken him less than thirty minutes to deal with everything Institute-related. Huh. Maybe he should consider delegating some of his Head of Institute duties when he got back. There were other competent Nephilim there after all.

Alec left the documents Clary needed to take back with her right there on the table and filed everything else away in a folder he had brought from the Institute for that purpose. Then he went to the bedroom, quietly opened the door, stuck his head in and motioned for Clary to join him in the living room again.

When she stopped next to him, he expected her to pick up the documents from the table. Instead, she grabbed the small shopping bag and held it out to him. "I bought you something that should help you take care of Magnus."

Alec took the bag and lifted a box out of it. "Baby monitor", he read out loud, confusion evident in his voice.

Clary beamed up at him. "Yes. It's perfect." It apparently took her a few seconds to catch on to the fact that her fellow Shadowhunter had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Actually, Alec didn't have the faintest clue what a baby monitor even _was_ and said as much. "Mundane parents use it to make sure they never miss their baby waking up and crying out for them. They put the transmitter into the baby's room and take the receiver with them – the units are marked to tell them apart. That way, the parents will hear if their baby wakes up, no matter where in the house they are."

That actually sounded like a solution to his biggest problem: the size of the loft in combination with Magnus' sore throat and hoarse voice.

"I made sure to get you one that goes both ways and has a night light in it. That way, Magnus doesn't wake up in complete darkness, and you can actually use the baby monitor to talk to him if you push a button on your end."

Who knew mundanes could design something this useful? "Thank you. I really appreciate that. What do I owe you?"

Clary just shook her head. "It's a gift."

"Are you sure?" Alec had no further knowledge of her financial situation, of course, but without a job or a living parent to support her she probably didn't have riches. He had no idea whether she'd even gained access to her inheritance from Jocelyn by now.

"Yes. Baby monitors aren't that expensive and you need a way to be able to leave Magnus' side for a bit without worrying about him." She had apparently caught on to the reason of his hesitation right away.

"In that case, thank you again. You've just solved one of my problems for me." It would have felt awkward to hug her, but his smile was sincere and mirrored by hers.

"You're welcome. Now I need to get going. Do you have anything for me to take back besides the documents?"

He waited for her to pick those up from the table, then handed her another sheet of paper. "I wrote down a shopping list for Jace, and placed a bag of laundry next to the door."

*

With the new baby monitor in place – the transmitter on the nightstand, the receiver next to him wherever he went – Alec had made short work of the dishes and the kitchen clean-up and had just settled down on the couch with his book when he heard noises from the receiver. It sounded as if Magnus was thrashing around or maybe fighting to free himself from the covers.

The book slid from Alec's hand onto a couch cushion and thumped to the floor from there as the Shadowhunter let his long legs carry him into the bedroom as quickly as possible.

Magnus was awake and struggling against the blanket and duvet he had become entangled in in his sleep. His face was flushed and sweaty, his soaked hair clung to his scalp, and his cat eyes were fever-bright.

Alec hurried over to his boyfriend's side and gently tugged the covers loose from around him. "There you go, all better. How in heaven did you manage to get all wrapped up like this?" He was very sure that _he_ hadn't tucked the covers that tightly around his boyfriend.

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know", he croaked. "How did you know I needed help?"

Alec picked up the baby monitor from the nightstand and showed it to Magnus. "Clary got us a gift." At his boyfriend's uncomprehending look he elaborated further. "Apparently, this is called a baby monitor, and mundanes use these to make sure they hear their baby if it wakes up. I had the receiver with me in the living room and got an earful of you fighting the covers." He paused, then grinned. "So, I guess this one is a Magnus monitor."

Magnus looked at the newly named 'Magnus monitor' and declared " _That_ is _not_ a Magnus monitor. It's much too drab to be worthy of that name."

Alec looked at the baby monitor. It was made of white plastic, and the night light emitted an orange glow. It had been that or blue. Even he had to admit that the device wasn't very glamorous. "Well, it may not be too pretty but it does get the job done", he declared. "It gave me a chance to clean up the kitchen without worrying you might wake up and need me. Now, if you wake up and need or want something you can just say so without having to raise your voice and I will hear you. The receiver even has a button that lets me answer you."

"It still doesn't get to call itself a Magnus monitor", Magnus grumbled but Alec could see the relief in his face.

Alec grinned. "Of course not", he said and added 'yet' in his mind. "So, would you like something to drink? Tea? Broth?

*

Two cups of tea, a trip to the bathroom and a bowl of broth later, Magnus, wearing clean pajamas, was nestled in the fresh sheets with a pillow at his back and the covers pulled up to his chest.

Alec was perched on the edge of the bed and had one hand on his boyfriend's forehead. The fever seemed as high as before. He sighed and let his hand drop onto the covers to lace his fingers with Magnus'. "Are you tired or is there something I could get you?"

Magnus gave his fingers a squeeze. "Just stay with me?"

Alec smiled, lifted Magnus' hand to his lips and kissed the too-hot skin. "Gladly. Just let me put on something more comfortable first." Maybe it would have been more accurate for him to say ‘Let me take off some clothes first' as he was only wearing shorts when he crawled into bed next to his feverish boyfriend and let him snuggle into his side.


	3. Chapter 3

_Day 2_

Magnus woke to sunlight on his face and immediately turned around and burrowed more deeply into the side of the warm body next to him.

"Morning." The chest under his cheek moved and rumbled with the word.

"Mmmh." Magnus' inarticulate response was muffled against his boyfriend's skin. He felt as bad as the day before and would have preferred to just be able to go back to sleep. Unfortunately though, his throat was parched and his bladder fit to burst. With great reluctance he lifted his face an inch or two off his boyfriend's chest to more or less mumble "I kind of need a trip to the bathroom. Badly."

He'd barely finished speaking when Alexander rose and gently picked him up to carry him to the bathroom. They had, by unspoken agreement, settled into a routine: While Magnus took care of business, Alexander prepared tea or broth or both, aired the bedroom, laid out fresh pajamas and boiled herbs to add to the bathwater. Then the Shadowhunter would help his boyfriend bathe, massage scented oil or body lotion into his skin and dress him in fresh pajamas before returning him to the bed. There, he'd serve the warlock tea or broth.

Afterwards, Magnus snuggled back into the bed and let Alexander tuck him in. Sleep claimed him almost instantly.

The Shadowhunter stayed perched on the edge of the bed, stroking his boyfriend's hair, until he was certain Magnus was fast asleep. Then he stood up, switched on the baby monitor and took the second unit with him to the bathroom. This time he'd have more than a quick wash. There was a tub with his name on it…

*

Alec almost felt like a completely new person when he emerged from the bathroom, clean-shaven, deeply relaxed and dressed in fresh clothes. He texted Izzy with a shopping request he didn't think would be quite up Jace' alley, then went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

When he heard the front door open and recognized the soft footfalls of his _parabatai,_ he took a second cup out of the cupboard and called out softly "In the kitchen!"

A moment later, Jace stepped into the room with a bag of groceries and another smaller shopping bag.

"Good morning, Jace. Would you like a cup of coffee? And have you had breakfast yet?"

Jace put down the bags and grinned. "Good morning to you, too! And yes and no. Why? Are you offering me breakfast?"

Alec poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Jace. "Sure. If you put the groceries away and set the table I'll make some pancakes for us."

"Deal."

With practice born of growing up together, they managed to move around each other smoothly and get their respective tasks done without bumping into each other or the furniture. They sat down to eat and both poured maple syrup onto their pancakes.

"This smells delicious", Jace stated. "So, how is Magnus doing?" He put the first piece of pancake into his mouth and moaned at the taste.

"Still like my pancakes?" Alec grinned. Then his expression turned serious again. "Magnus is… the fever is still high, and he's asleep most of the time. I'm doing everything Catarina recommended but he isn't getting better yet."

Jace swallowed a mouthful of pancake. "Alec, don't worry too much. It hasn't been all that long, and you're here to make sure he doesn't die of dehydration or starvation or any accidents with his magic. I'm sure Magnus will be a lot better in a few days."

Alec sighed. "I really hope so. Jace, I can't lose him."

Jace reached across the table and gave his _parabatai_ 's arm a reassuring squeeze. "And you won't. We're all just a call away if you need any help or someone to talk to."

Alec put his hand on Jace' for a moment. "Thanks. Please tell Clary that her gift is a godsend. Before she gave me the baby monitor, I kept checking on Magnus every few minutes and the rest of the time I worried about not being there if he needed me."

Jace just grinned. "I'll tell her. I was kind of skeptical when she first told me that the mundanes routinely used devices that could make this situation easier for you. How did Magnus take the fact that it's a _baby_ monitor?"

That made Alec laugh. "I wanted to rename it a Magnus monitor but he adamantly refused, stating that the device is so _drab_ it doesn't deserve that title."

Now they were both laughing.

Once they'd calmed down and eaten their pancakes, Alec inquired "How's the situation at the Institute? Has anyone commented on my absence?"

Jace shook his head. "No. At least not where Clary, Izzy or I could hear it. Don't worry, it's all taken care of. We sort anything that comes in, deal with the small and simple stuff and bring everything important to you. Meanwhile, you concentrate on helping Magnus."

"Am I overthinking things again?" Alec asked with a rueful grin.

"Just a little bit, yes. I guess you wouldn't be you if you didn't." Jace mirrored his grin. "Now, I need to get back. Thank you for breakfast. Give Magnus my best and don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

They embraced for a moment, then Alec handed Jace a bag with laundry and his parabatai left.

*

The breakfast dishes had been cleared away quickly, and Alec had picked up the second shopping bag Jace had deposited in the kitchen and taken it to the bathroom.

Since Magnus did all his housekeeping by magic, he didn't own any cleaning supplies to speak of. Aec really didn't fancy the idea of using the bathroom for up to two weeks without it ever being cleaned, though. Especially with the kind of heavy use it saw now that Magnus was sick. So he had asked Jace to buy cleaning supplies and bring them by with the groceries.

Alec put the receiver on the counter next to the sink and unpacked the supplies. For the next hour, he scrubbed and wiped and rinsed and mopped until every surface shone and the air was saturated with the sharp scent of cleaning products.

He turned down the heat and opened the window to clear the air. Then he took the receiver and moved to the living room, where he picked a book to read.

*

He'd shut the bathroom window again about three hours ago and was halfway through his book by the time he heard Magnus say his name. Alec picked up the receiver, pushed the talk-back button and answered "I'll be right there".

At Magnus' quiet "Can you bring tea?", he quickly confirmed and made a detour to the kitchen.

When he entered the bedroom a short while later with a steaming cup of peppermint tea in one hand, his boyfriend had his eyes closed and seemed to have dozed off again.

Alec put the tea on the nightstand and gently touched Magnus' shoulder. His boyfriend's eyes opened instantly and seemed to take a few seconds to focus on his face.

"Hey there. I brought your tea."

He helped Magnus sit up and sip the tea. His boyfriend's skin was still too hot, and he kept wincing as if he were in pain.

"What's wrong?" Concern was evident in Alec's voice.

Magnus took another sip of the tea, then weakly pushed the almost-empty cup away.

"Besides the fever and headache and aching muscles you mean?" He sighed. "I woke up nauseous and with stomach cramps. You might want to put a bucket next to the bed, just in case." His voice was still raspy and hoarse.

Alec set the cup down on the nightstand, then used the hand warmed by the cup to reach under the covers and gently rub circles into his boyfriend's stomach above the pajama top.

"How does that feel?"

Magnus hummed.

"Nice. Can you keep doing that while carrying me to the bathroom?"

"Not without dropping you, sorry." Alec chuckled. "But if this helps, I can join you in the tub today and rub your stomach while you soak. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. What are you waiting for?"

*

With a pleased sigh, Alexander sat down in the hot camphor-scented water and pulled Magnus back against his chest. His boyfriend's head came to rest on his shoulder. Alexander buried one of his hands in Magnus' wet hair to gently massage the scalp and lowered the other to his boyfriend's stomach to rub slow circles into the skin there.

Bit by bit, Magnus relaxed and melted against the firm body behind him. His eyes drooped shut and his breathing evened out. The feeling of soft lips against the side of his head made him hum. This was nice! With the water's heat soothing the aches in his muscles, the steam rising from the tub clearing his nose and head and his boyfriend's caresses calming his stomach, Magnus was practically in heaven.

After a while, another part of his anatomy started to take an interest in proceedings. Only half an hour ago Magnus would have claimed he was way too sick to appreciate being snuggled naked against his equally naked boyfriend. Now though?

He squirmed, rubbing against Alexander's body, and smirked when that drew a low moan from the Shadowhunter. So, maybe he wasn't the only one interested in a change of plans. Magnus wriggled his hips, careful not to move so much he'd dislodge his boyfriend's hand from his stomach.

"What are you doing?"

The body behind him moved with the words, and Alexander's breath felt cool on his wet skin.

Magnus turned around just far enough so he could lick and kiss his boyfriend's collarbone.

"If you have to ask, it's clearly been too long."

He gently bit Alexander's shoulder, then kissed the spot.

"We should remedy that."

Alexander seemed to have caught on to the program because he helped Magnus turn around until his boyfriend was straddling him and could place his knees to either side of his hips. The moment their groins came into contact, both men moaned.

The Shadowhunter guided his boyfriend's arms around his neck and started pressing open-mouthed kisses to Magnus' jawline.

"We really should. Just let _me_ do all the work this time and enjoy. I'll make you feel so good."

Alexander let one hand trail down Magnus' back to his butt to support him and hold him close while he slipped the other between their bodies and wrapped his long fingers around them both.

*

Emerging from the bathroom an hour later, clean, relaxed and both dressed in pajama bottoms, Magnus let Alexander carry him to the bed and tuck him in.

"How do you feel now? Do you still want me to fetch a bucket?"

Magnus considered the question. He was feeling much better right now, relaxed and happy and tired and also quite satisfied. Unfortunately, the muscle aches seemed to be returning already, albeit slowly.

"Better safe than sorry, I think", he rasped.

Alec went to get a bucket which he placed next to the bed on Magnus' side. Then he walked around to the other side, climbed in and drew his boyfriend into his arms. Magnus snuggled in close and smirked.

"Did I tire you out that badly?"

Alexander tightened his hold for a moment and kissed the top of his boyfriend's head.

"No. I just want to hold you for a bit longer before I take care of dinner and feed the cats."

He let his fingers card through Magnus' hair and grinned at the content purr-like sound that earned him. Alexander kept up the gentle caresses and started to hum a lullaby for Magnus.

*

It hadn't taken Magnus long to fall asleep, and Alec had finally crawled out from under the covers and dressed himself after the second time he'd just barely avoided nodding off as well.

He'd cleaned the cats' dishes and set out fresh food and water. The cats had thanked him by weaving around his feet, rubbing against his legs and purring vigorously. He had petted a few of them but refrained from talking to them the way he sometimes heard Magnus do.

Once the cats had finished the food and wandered off again, he went back inside and washed his hands. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was almost time for dinner.

He sent off a text to Izzy, inviting her to eat with him, and smiled at her immediate affirmative response. Time to prepare some food then.

*

By the time Izzy let herself into the loft, Alec had set the table, chopped the meat and vegetables, mixed the sauce and set water to boil.

Izzy put the bags down in the kitchen and walked over to give her brother a firm hug.

"Hey. How is Magnus doing?"

Alec hugged her back just as fiercely.

"Hey. Magnus is asleep. The fever's still high, he's in pain, and today nausea set in. Hot baths seem to make it better, though. At least for a little while."

His sister frowned at him.

"Is his skin tolerating all that hot water? Mine would go all dry and irritated with frequent hot baths."

"His would as well, I guess, if I didn't massage oil or lotion into it after each bath."

That brought a grin to Izzy's face.

"So, you offer full service, do you? You cook, clean, serve, take care of… you're turning domestic here."

Her eyes were sparkling with amusement.

Alec chuckled.

"Don't repeat that in front of Magnus or I'll never hear the end of it" he admonished. "Besides, as far as I remember, you didn't complain when I invited you over for dinner."

"Speaking of which, what are you making?"

Alec poured pre-measured rice into the boiling water and turned on the heat under an oiled frying pan, then gestured to the chopped ingredients.

"Pork-and-vegetable stir-fry with a sweet chili-honey sauce and rice."

"Yum!" Izzy exclaimed. "Want me to read out the list of minor concerns Jace and I took care of today while you cook?"

Alec nodded and listened attentively to his sister while adding first the meat, then the vegetables and finally the sauce to the pan. His siblings obviously had everything under control at the Institute, and none of the concerns required him to get involved personally.

"Thank you for taking over my duties. Dinner will be ready in a moment, so you might want to sit down."

Izzy poured each of them a glass of water and then took her seat at the table, watching her brother expectantly.

Alec put the pan with the stir-fry on the table, emptied the pot into a sieve and transferred the boiled rice from the sieve into a bowl. Setting the rice down in front of Izzy, he encouraged her: "Dig in!"

His sister didn't need to be told twice, and soon they were both eating with great appetite. They didn't talk much during their meal, apart from Izzy complimenting her brother's cooking skills.

After dinner, Alec put the leftover rice into a plastic container and set it aside for Magnus. His boyfriend might like some solid food, and plain rice was on the list of foods recommended by Catarina.

"Want some help with the dishes? I don't have any plans for tonight."

Izzy's offer was made with a smile and gladly accepted by her brother. Together, they made short work of the kitchen clean-up, moving around each other as smoothly as if they were performing a choreographed dance.

When they were done putting the clean dishes away, Izzy pointed to the bags she had brought with her.

"Clean laundry in the left one. The right one holds the special purchases you requested."

"Did you get everything I asked for?"

Izzy grinned at him.

"More than that, actually. Since my painting experience is about as limited as yours, I asked Clary for help in choosing the right products. She asked me to convey her sincerest apology to Magnus for buying a device that in no way matches his magnificence."

The words were spoken in a serious tone, but the twinkle in Izzy's eyes betrayed her amusement.

Alec chuckled.

"I will tell him when he wakes up. What did Clary recommend I use?"

"She says you should use spray paint as a base. I bought masking tape so you can protect all those parts and openings the paint has no business going. I also bought a pot of similar paint so you can fill in the small bits between the speaker holes. Then there's also three colors of acrylic glitter paint – white, silver, and dark grey - , several fine paint brushes, super glue, tweezers, rhinestones of different sizes and colors and a finisher Clary said you need to spray on once you're done. She also says you need to make sure one layer of paint has dried completely before you paint over it or it'll smudge and smear."

Alec listened attentively and then went through the contents of the bag, making sure he could identify all the items his sister had told him about.

"Thank you, Izzy. Please tell Clary I'm grateful for her input. Painting's a bit outside my range of experiences."

"But you just want to do something for Magnus to make him smile?" Izzy asked with a knowing look. "You've really got it bad, big brother."

Alec blushed but didn't deny anything. It probably was quite obvious to those who knew him that he was head over heels in love with his boyfriend. He cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"So, if you don't have any plans for tonight, would you like to stay a bit longer? We haven't had much time to sit and talk in quite a while."

*

About three hours later, they were both curled up comfortably on the couch face-to-face with their feet drawn up onto the seat. They had spent that time talking about anything and everything and were currently in stitches remembering Izzy's very first disastrous attempt at cooking.

"That's mean," Izzy sputtered, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "I just wanted to surprise all of you by making dinner and I worked _so hard_ for hours!" Despite her words she was still laughing.

"Sorry, Iz. The result wasn't just inedible, it was a biohazard."

Alec's tone was warm and fond, taking the sting out of the words.

Izzy opened her mouth to reply when Magnus' voice sounded from the baby monitor, saying Alec's name. A hacking cough followed.

Immediately, Alec's face turned serious, worry shining in his eyes.

"Iz, I –"

"It's fine, Alec. Magnus needs you. Give him a hug from me. I'll let myself out and take the laundry with me."

Alec enveloped his sister in a quick but tight hug and hurried to the bedroom.

*

Magnus had woken up hot and feverish, with his throat sore and his stomach aching and all his muscles complaining. He softly called out to Alec and immediately regretted speaking. Hacking coughs shook his body and made his head feel like it might explode any second. A moment later, he was scrambling to lean over the side of the bed and bringing up what little was left in his stomach.

When Alec entered the bedroom, he found Magnus dry-heaving over the bucket. With a few long strides he was by his boyfriend's side, gently stroking the back of his head and neck with one hand.

"Shhh, it'll be alright. Everything's going to be fine."

He kept muttering reassurances and started to rub Magnus' back as well.

It took several minutes for Magnus to calm down and stop retching.

Alec helped him back up and let him settle against the pillow.

"Let's wait a moment to make sure you're done and then I'll take you to the bathroom so you can rinse your mouth, okay?"

Magnus nodded and closed his eyes, relaxing back into the pillow. His stomach was still rolling and he wasn't at all sure he wouldn't need the bucket again.

Alec took Magnus' hand in both of his and gently rubbed the overheated skin. Magnus was shivering and wincing, quite clearly in pain. Alec would have given just about anything to help his sick boyfriend.

It worried him that Magnus wasn't getting any better. He couldn't exactly call for help, after all. Other warlocks wouldn't go near the apartment right now, mundane doctors wouldn't have the first clue of what they were dealing with and Shadowhunter medics wouldn't care about a sick warlock at best and see him as their personal guinea pig at worst.

The only sources of information on how to help Magnus he had right now were Jace' memories of a book he once read and Catarina's notes.

When Magnus hadn't felt the urge to vomit for about fifteen minutes, Alec gently picked him up and carried him into the bathroom where he sat his boyfriend down on a stool. Once he was sure Magnus could hold himself upright without help and wouldn't fall to the floor, he filled a cup with water and held it to Magnus' lips.

"Here. Rinse and spit it out."

Magnus did as he was told, repeated the process twice and then let Alec help him over to the toilet.

Alec left the room for a few minutes and returned with a towel and a washcloth.

"Do you feel up to me quickly washing the sweat off your skin or do you want to go right back to bed?"

Magnus seemed to think about it for a moment, then nodded towards the bathtub.

Alec put the towel onto the towel heater and the washcloth onto the stool before he helped his boyfriend undress and lifted him into the tub. He was very careful not to put any pressure on Magnus' stomach while washing him.

Magnus rewarded his care by practically melting under his hands. He made a wordless sound of displeasure when Alec picked him up again and sat him down on the bathmat to pat him dry.

"I'm sorry, Magnus. I know you feel like crap right now. Give me a moment to get you into clean pajamas and I'll have you back in bed in next to no time."

Magnus made a non-committal noise but let Alec dress him and carry him to bed. Once there, he tried to curl up under the covers but was stopped by his boyfriend.

"Not yet. You need to drink something. The fever already makes you sweat out more than you're taking in."

Magnus shook his head. He didn't think he could keep anything down, his stomach was hurting so much.

"I'd just bring it back up," he claimed, voice hoarse and low.

"We have to try. Your body needs fluids."

Alec had planned to reheat a bit of rice for Magnus as well, but changed his mind. Keeping Magnus' body hydrated was much more important right now than giving him any solid food.

When Alec returned with a cup of hot beef broth, Magnus had burrowed into the covers until just his hair remained visible.

Alec put the cup down on the nightstand and gently peeled back the covers from Magnus' face.

"No hiding. You can go back to sleep soon."

Alec propped his boyfriend up against a pillow and tucked the blankets around him.

Magnus pointedly ignored the cup of broth and looked around the room until his eyes landed on the bucket next to the bed. The empty, non-smelly bucket.

Alec followed his gaze.

"I emptied and rinsed it in the other bathroom before I fetched the towel. I really hope you won't need the bucket again, but it's here. Just in case."

He picked up the cup of broth and raised it to Magnus' lips.

"Now, just take slow, small sips. Take your time."

Magnus hesitated for a moment and then, with a resigned air, did as he was told. One small sip at a time, he slowly emptied the cup and then pushed it away.

Alec took the cup and carried it to the kitchen. He would have liked to follow up with a cup of tea but was afraid that might be too much at once for Magnus' upset stomach.

So he just changed into pajamas himself and helped his boyfriend lie down comfortably in bed. Then Alec crawled under the covers as well and wrapped his arms around Magnus from behind. He pressed a kiss against the back of Magnus' head and snuck one hand under his boyfriend's pajama top to gently rub circles on his stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

_Day 3_

Alec had just fallen asleep when he was woken again by Magnus lurching forward from his embrace and noisily retching into the bucket. He scrambled to get up and support Magnus' upper body.

Once Magnus was done emptying his stomach, Alec wiped his sweaty face, then brought him a cup of water to wash the taste from his mouth.

He helped Magnus settle back into the covers and went to empty and clean the bucket and make some tea.

By the time he returned to the bedroom with the clean bucket and a cup of fennel tea, Magnus had fallen into an uneasy sleep.

Alec gently shook him awake and helped him sit up.

"Here, this should help calm your stomach. Just take small sips."

Magnus turned his head away, but Alec's hand holding the cup just followed.

"Please, Magnus. You need to drink something. Just a few sips."

With a lot of coaxing and gentle insistence, he actually got Magnus to drink all of the tea.

*

The routine saw a repeat barely half an hour later. This time, once Magnus had – with great reluctance – taken a few sips of tea and been tucked in again by Alec, the Shadowhunter texted his sister.

_Come by in the morning with supplies for IV, pls. Magnus drying out._

Izzy was no medic, but her experience as a forensic pathologist meant she hopefully knew enough of anatomy to hit a vein. It was the only way to get enough fluids into Magnus Alec could think of right now.

*

By the time the sun rose, Alec was exhausted. He'd lost count of the times he'd held Magnus while he vomited or rushed to the bathroom with his boyfriend in his arms because the problem had progressed to the other end of the digestive system.

Once, they hadn't made it in time and Alec had had to wash an embarrassed Magnus, dress him in fresh pajamas, tuck him back into bed and then soak the soiled clothes and mop up any mess that had made it to the floor.

Alec had stopped trying to get Magnus to drink anything after the third time, counting on the IV in the morning. Unfortunately, that hadn't taken care of the problem. Once Magnus' stomach was empty, he just vomited up bile or dry-heaved painfully.

Neither of them had gotten any sleep to speak of that night.

*

The sound of the door opening, followed by Izzy's distinctive footfalls in the hallway, made Alec sigh with relief. The sight of Magnus sweating, weakened and in pain, with chapped lips and shaking fingers tore at his heartstrings.

He opened the bedroom door to let his sister in and stared at the things she was carrying. When he had sent his text off he hadn't considered the things she'd need for an IV.

But Izzy had obviously thought this through and even brought a metal IV stand.

"Thank you for coming, Iz." Alec hugged her and reached out to help carry everything over to the bed.

"It's no problem, Alec," Izzy assured her brother, walking past him towards the bed. When she got her first look at Magnus, she gasped.

"Oh Alec! Thank the Angel you called me. He needs fluids ASAP!"

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Wake him up gently so I don't startle him into using his magic? I can't promise he won't feel anything."

Alec nodded and slid into bed next to Magnus. He reached out with one hand to stroke his boyfriend's cheek.

"Hey, Magnus? Can you wake up for me?"

It took a few moments for Magnus to open his eyes and focus on Alec, and then another few seconds for him to notice Izzy. He frowned and tried to speak but only managed an unintelligible croak.

Alec squeezed his arm reassuringly.

"I asked Izzy to help us. She brought over some supplies so she can start an IV. You desperately need fluids."

Izzy gave Magnus a few moments to work through what Alec had told him before she spoke.

"I'll put a butterfly catheter in a vein on the back of your hand so I can attach a bag of saline. It will remain in your hand for as long as you need IV fluids, and I will teach Alec to change the bag. The saline won't help against the nausea or anything, but it will keep you from drying out."

They could virtually see the gears turning in Magnus' head as he processed the information he had been given. Finally, he nodded his consent.

Izzy started to unpack her bags, taking out everything she needed. Once she'd laid out her supplies to her satisfaction, she put on surgical gloves and reached for Magnus' hand.

"This might feel slightly cold," she warned before she sprayed the back of his hand with antiseptic solution and waited a moment for it to dry.

Magnus had shivered as the cold fluid hit his skin but was watching curiously.

"The next step might sting a bit. Please try not to pull away."

Izzy probably wouldn't have said the second part to a fellow Shadowhunter, but she assumed that this was Magnus' first encounter with modern medicine.

She waited for Magnus to nod again before she took the tube with the small needle from the opened package. This kind of work wasn't usually part of her duties but she knew human anatomy and was confident she could do this.

It took her two tries to properly hit the vein, and Magnus flinched a little, but the catheter was in. She taped it down and then fixed it in place with a bandage she wrapped around his hand and wrist.

"Now, this is going to stay in as long as you need IV fluids. The bandage and tape will hold it in place and make sure you don't snag it on anything. Don't get the bandage wet. If you take a bath, let this hand rest outside the tub."

Magnus and Alec both nodded. As Magnus was way too weak to bathe himself at the moment, it would be Alec's duty to make sure the bandage stayed dry at all times.

"Alright, Alec. This is how you attach or change the IV bag," she told her brother, then proceeded to show him the procedure step by step, explaining how changing the bag would differ from attaching the first one.

Alec and Magnus both watched her curiously.

Izzy then demonstrated to Alec how to regulate the speed at which fluid dripped into the line.

"Each of these bags holds 500 ml. At the current setting, it will take about 90 minutes for all the fluid to run into Magnus' body. How much can Magnus actually eat or drink in a day right now?"

Magnus went a little pale at the suggestion of food, and Alec hurried to say "At the moment he can't keep anything down. I've stopped giving him tea or broth because he was in so much pain from the vomiting and diarrhea."

"In that case, you should attach one bag in the morning and one in the evening. Magnus should also try to drink something every few hours. Even if it's just a sip or two. Don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions or need any help."

Alec made sure the covers were tucked around Magnus before he walked Izzy to the door.

"Thank you again for helping us. I'm sorry you had to carry all that stuff all the way from the Institute."

Izzy grinned up at him. "You're welcome. I didn't carry it all that far, though. I called Catarina, and while she couldn't come to the loft to help Magnus, she was quite happy to create a portal for me near the Institute. She sends her regards and has taken steps to make sure the artifact won't infect anyone else."

"Then I will thank her as well. Now I just hope Magnus gets better soon."

"I can't promise the symptoms will vanish, but the fluids will keep him alive. That gives his body time to fight the disease."

They shared a quick embrace, and Izzy left.

*

By the time Alec disconnected the empty IV bag, Magnus was already looking better. He seemed more alert, his fingers had stopped shaking and his lips weren't quite so pale anymore.

"How are you feeling?"

Magnus smiled. "A bit better. The headache is all but gone right now." His voice was still hoarse but no longer as weak as it had been. "I think I need a trip to the bathroom. Afterwards, I'd like to try and sleep some more."

That business was quickly taken care of, and Magnus snuggled back under the covers Alec tucked around him. Once the Shadowhunter was sure his boyfriend was comfortable and warm, he crawled into bed as well to catch up on some sleep.

*

Sunlight was still pouring through the window when Alec woke up again. He blinked a few times, then glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Quarter past two in the afternoon. Well, that explained why he felt well-rested.

He sat up and looked over at Magnus. His boyfriend was still fast asleep. A careful touch to his forehead confirmed that the fever hadn't gone down significantly yet.

Alec decided to let Magnus sleep for a while longer and quietly made his way to the bathroom, the receiving part of the baby monitor in his hand.

When he left the bathroom again half an hour later, shaved, showered and dressed in fresh clothes, Magnus hadn't woken.

So Alec went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Between two bites he sent off two text messages: one to Catarina to thank her for her help in getting the medical supplies to the apartment and one to Izzy to tell her that the treatment seemed to be working.

After breakfast – or lunch, he guessed – he put the dishes in the sink and set out food and water for the cats.

With Magnus still asleep, Alec decided to start turning the baby monitor into a worthy Magnus monitor. He went to the bedroom to collect the unit there, then took Magnus' phone from the nightstand. He made sure the ringtone was set to mute before calling the phone from his own and accepting the call. Once he was sure the connection had been established, he retreated to the living room. There, he put the connection on speaker so he wouldn't miss if Magnus woke up.

Next, he spread old newspapers all over and around the living room table. He removed the batteries from both units, took the masking tape from the bag of supplies and started covering the night light, the buttons, the speaker holes and any other opening he could find.

Once the preparations were done, he laid out the units on the table and read the instructions on the can of spray paint. After shaking the can for a few moments, he covered both units in an even layer of black paint.

Now, according to the description on the can, the paint would take several hours to dry completely before he could turn the baby monitor over and spray the other side.

He'd just decided he should use that time to stay in shape when he heard Magnus say his name over the phone. A few long strides took him to the bedroom, where he found Magnus half-sitting against the headboard.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Finally awake?"

Magnus raised one eyebrow. "Sleeping Beauty was at least woken with a kiss. _I_ woke up to an empty bed." He pouted.

"My apologies."

Alec tried to look contrite as he sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned in for a gentle kiss.

"You seem to be feeling better. What can I do for you?"

"A little. I need the bathroom and would enjoy a bath afterwards."

"Then that's what you'll get."

They had the bathroom routine down pat by now, and while Magnus soaked in the tub – the hand with the IV safe and dry on the rim of the tub – , Alec took the opportunity to air the bedroom, change the sheets and make fresh fennel tea.

By the time he carried Magnus back to the bed, a steaming cup of tea and a fresh bag of saline were waiting on the nightstand.

Magnus eyed the cup with distaste, then seemed to notice for the first time that something was missing. "What happened to the baby monitor? Did it finally realize there are no babies here for it to monitor?"

Alec helped Magnus settle against a pillow and pulled the covers up to his chest.

"Well, when you declared it unworthy of being called a _Magnus monitor_ you hurt its feelings. So now it's gone out to get some fashion advice."

Magnus' eyebrows rose skeptically. "I hope it chose its advisor wisely, then."

"I'm sure it did. Now, let's attach the saline to the IV." Alec grabbed the bag and put it on the stand then attached the line to the IV the way Izzy had shown him. He regulated the flow so it would take about 90 minutes to empty the bag.

Magnus had watched his movements and only now relaxed into the pillow. "So, what are we going to do for one-and-a-half hours with me chained to this?" He shook his hand slightly to indicate the IV stand.

"Well, you should drink some tea. At least a sip or two. Then I could read something to you. Just tell me which book to get."

Magnus grimaced when Alec mentioned the tea, but obediently took a few slow sips when his boyfriend lifted the cup to his lips. Then he pushed his head back into the pillow, and Alec took the hint and removed the cup.

"There's a novel in the upper drawer of the nightstand. I've marked the page I read last."

Alec retrieved the book, opened it to the marked page and started to read.

Magnus leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes while he listened.

*

When Alec removed the empty saline bag, he noticed that the additional fluid seemed to have helped Magnus. He couldn't put his finger on it, but his boyfriend looked a bit better. The few sips of tea hadn't come back up so far, although Magnus had complained of increased stomach ache and cramps.

"Would you like me to bring you a hot water bottle? The heat might help with the stomach cramps."

Magnus nodded. "But first I need another trip to the bathroom."

So Alec carried his boyfriend to the bathroom before he went to the kitchen and started to heat up some water. Then he collected Magnus and helped him get comfortable in bed again.

"It's going to take a moment longer until the water is hot enough. Is there anything else you need?"

"You mean aside from an end to this disease? Or the use of my magic back?" Magnus' words sounded bitter and were followed by a pained groan. "I'd settle for the stomach pain stopping."

Alec leaned forward to touch his forehead to that of his boyfriend. "I'm sorry. I'd take the pain away if I could. Let me go check on the water."

He kissed the tip of Magnus' nose, then made his way to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, he returned with a hot water bottle.

Magnus pushed the covers down a little and helped Alec position the heat source right over the worst cramps. He sighed. "That feels kind of nice."

Alec tugged the covers back up and reached out one hand to stroke Magnus' cheek.

His boyfriend leaned into the touch.

"Just close your eyes and try to sleep. I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow."

Magnus hummed non-committally but let his eyes slip shut.

Alec kept up the gentle caresses and began to sing a lullaby, only stopping again once he was quite sure Magnus had fallen asleep.

Then he established a call between his phone and Magnus' again and took his phone with him to the living room.

The paint on the baby monitor had dried by now, so he turned both units over, shook the can of paint for a few moments and covered the other sides of the baby monitor in an even layer of black paint.

That done, he changed into training clothes and started his workout. The limited space and equipment in the apartment, as well as the fact that under no circumstances did he want to risk waking Magnus, meant he couldn't do all the exercises he'd usually go through at the Institute.

He started out loosening and stretching his muscles, beginning with his fingers and hands and working his way up to the larger muscles. Alec finished his stretches with a wide V-stretch and his arms and chest flat on the ground.

Once he'd held that position for about three minutes, he set his clenched fists on the floor next to his shoulders, pushed his upper body off the ground and slid his legs backwards until his feet met. Then he lifted his hips until his body formed one straight line from shoulders to heels and began doing push-ups.

After a while, he adjusted his balance so he could lift one hand up behind his back and continue the push-ups on just one hand, then repeated the exercise with the other hand.

Next, he rolled onto his back to go through his ab exercises – crunches and bicycle crunches – and his core strength training – bridge, side plank and side balance crunches.

Since he wasn't sure the doorframes in the apartment were up to his weight, he skipped his usual chin-ups and instead grabbed a broomstick to practice staff fighting.

Alec started out with somewhat cautious and restrained movements until he was absolutely sure he had memorized the layout of the room as well as the location of the windows and any obstacles the staff might encounter. Then he sped up the thrusts, twirls, attacks and parries until the piece of wood was nothing but a blur.

By the time he was satisfied with his performance, he'd worked up a sweat and was slightly out of breath.

He would have loved to be able to practice his archery as well, but that just wasn't possible in the apartment.

So he made sure to slowly but thoroughly stretch his muscles again and then went to the bathroom for a quick shower.

*

His hair still moist from the shower, Alec made his way into the kitchen for dinner.

Since Magnus probably wasn't going to eat anything today or tomorrow, Alec decided to make vegetable stir fry and toss in the leftover rice from last night.

He wrote a shopping list for Jace – mostly groceries – while he was eating and added several of the herbs he needed for Magnus. The frequent baths meant he was running low on a few of them.

Jace arrived with a bag of clean laundry and a folder of documents as Alec was drying off and putting away the dishes.

"Hey Alec. How's Magnus? Izzy said he needed an IV?"

Alec pulled his _parabatai_ into a one-armed hug.

"Yeah. The IV seems to have helped because he already looks better. He's still running a fever, though."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Izzy said the IV takes care of the most dangerous side effect of fever and nausea. I'm sure his temperature will go down soon."

Alec sighed. "I know, but you haven't seen him. Every time I look at him I just want to make him feel better. I can't, though." His frustration was obvious.

Jace grabbed him gently by the back of his neck and pulled him into his arms.

Alec hesitated a moment and then laid his head on Jace' shoulder, burying his face in his _parabatai_ 's neck. Hot tears of worry and stress ran down his face and into Jace' shirt.

Jace held Alec tight and soothingly rubbed his back.

When Alec finally pulled away, Jace busied himself sorting through the documents he brought by so Alec had time to wipe and dry his face.

"There wasn't much to take care of today, but I brought you a list. A small mission needs to be approved. We got a tip about a _yin fen_ dealer. I checked the facts and wrote up a request. All the background information is included. Izzy and I agreed that she will sit this one out to avoid temptation. Since Clary needs to concentrate on her training, I suggested the assignment of a different team."

Alec took the documents and sat down at the kitchen table to read them. The information seemed solid and the strategy was well thought through. Jace had chosen competent and experienced Shadowhunters to hunt down the dealer.

In the end, Alec just signed the document the way it was and handed it back to Jace. "Thank you for taking care of this. Your plan is good."

Jace grinned and saluted him.

"Thank you. Anything else I can help you with?"

"I have a shopping list and another bag of laundry for you."

*

Once Jace had left, Alec went to the living room. The second layer of black paint was dry by now, and Alec proceeded to remove the masking tape. Then he rummaged through the shopping bag for the paint brushes, the pot of black paint and the plastic cups Izzy had included, correctly assuming that Magnus didn't own any old glasses or cups.

Alec filled one cup with water halfway at the kitchen sink and then opened the black paint and unwrapped one of the brushes. He spent the next hour carefully and precisely painting the remaining white spots black without getting paint into any of the openings.

When he was satisfied with the result, he left both baby monitor units on the table so the paint could dry overnight. Then he capped the paint pot, cleaned the paint brush and emptied the water cup.

He activated his Nyx rune, extinguished all the lights and silently entered the bedroom. There he canceled the call to Magnus' phone and changed into pajamas before he crawled into bed next to his boyfriend.

Alec deactivated his night vision and snuggled into Magnus' side.

Sleep claimed him quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

_Day 4_

Alec was woken by Magnus shaking his shoulder.

"Alec, wake up! I really, really need to go to the bathroom!"

Immediately, the Shadowhunter was wide awake and switched on the lights. He scrambled out of bed and glanced at the clock out of the corner of his eye. Half past two in the morning.

He threw back the covers, picked up Magnus and carried him into the bathroom. There he set him down next to the toilet and helped him pull down his pajama pants before he left again.

Alec took the now-cold hot water bottle from the bed and went into the kitchen to heat up some water and make fresh tea.

*

Once Magnus was safely back in bed with a fresh hot water bottle and had taken a few sips of fennel tea, Alec reached out with one hand to check his temperature.

"What's the verdict?"

Alec hummed. "Maybe a little lower than before. You're still weak and sweaty, though. I had hoped for more of an improvement."

"Me too." Magnus shivered and pulled the covers more tightly around himself. "Come into bed with me?"

"Of course." Alec extinguished the lights, crawled under the covers and pulled his boyfriend into his arms. With his lips against Magnus' neck, he hummed a lullaby into the overheated skin.

*

Alec woke to a room bathed in sunlight and a slender but strong hand gently shaking his shoulder. He groaned, turned around slowly and blinked.

Izzy was standing next to their bed, smiling down at him. "Good morning, brother mine. You look like you had a late night."

Alec rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up. "Morning. My night wasn't so much late as it was interrupted."

Izzy raised one eyebrow.

"Magnus had stomach cramps and pains all night and woke me up twice so I could help him to the bathroom and prepare a fresh hot water bottle."

A moan and the rustling of the covers alerted them that their quiet conversation had woken Magnus.

Alec leaned over to kiss his boyfriend good morning and feel his temperature. "Still running a fever, although I really think it's gone down a bit. How are you feeling?"

Magnus shrugged, then coughed. "Not really any better. My stomach still hurts and just the thought of food makes me feel queasy." He cleared his throat and coughed again. "My throat feels worse and the headache is back."

Alec squeezed Magnus' arm and looked up at Izzy. "I thought the IV would help him get better. Right now he looks even worse than yesterday afternoon. Something has to be wrong!"

"I said the IV will keep him from drying out. It can't make the disease disappear." Izzy went over to Magnus' side of the bed and reached out a hand towards his face. "May I?"

Magnus nodded, and Izzy laid the back of her hand against his forehead. "Your fever seems a little lower than yesterday, but I'm not sure. Alec, did you ever take his precise temperature?"

Alec shook his head. "I should have thought of that sooner. Why didn't I think to get a thermometer?"

"Because neither warlocks nor Shadowhunters are prone to any kind of sickness that can't be cured with a rune or spell, love."

Speaking made Magnus cough again, harder than before.

Izzy waited until the coughing fit was over before she spoke. "Magnus is right, Alec. Plus, we don't know all that much about the Warlock Cold. Jace told me about the old book, and what information he had was rather vague about the order symptoms appear in or remedies that can alleviate effects. Maybe you should start taking notes for future reference. I will get you a thermometer today."

She turned to Magnus. "Is it alright if I examine you? I'm not a medic, but I want to call Catarina and ask for her advice and she'll ask about your symptoms."

Magnus shrugged. "Do your worst."

"I hope it won't be _that_ bad. Alec, can you grab a piece of paper and a pen and write down what I tell you? I want to make sure I don't forget anything when I talk to Catarina."

Alec fetched the requested items at a run before his sister had even finished speaking. When he returned with a writing pad and a pen he sat down at the foot of the bed and waited for Izzy's instructions.

She reached out with one hand to gently peel Magnus' eyelid back a bit further and get a better look at his eye.

"Your pupil seems a bit wide to me, considering how much sunlight is coming through the window, but I haven't seen you with your cat eyes all that often. Alec, are his pupils usually this dilated?"

Her brother leaned over and took a good look. "No, not with this much light in the room."

 _Not unless he's just come._ Alec stomped down on the thought viciously. Now was not the time.

He wrote down _dilated pupils_ while Izzy reached out again – with both hands this time – and started to examine Magnus' neck and throat. "Your lymph nodes are swollen, but that isn't unusual with a cold. For a human, at least. I'll have to ask Catarina what it means in a warlock." Izzy let go of Magnus.

"Now I need you to open your mouth, please," she told him, and he obliged her.

She turned his face a little more towards the light with a finger against his chin so she could check for any signs of dryness.

"Alec, write down: mucosa rosy and moist; tongue coated white. Thank you, Magnus. You can close your mouth again."

Izzy waited for Alec to finish writing and then reached for Magnus' hand. "This may feel somewhat uncomfortable," she cautioned before she lightly pinched a small fold of skin on the back of Magnus' hand and watched it smooth out again the moment she let go.

"Alright, you don't seem to be dehydrated anymore. Now I need to check your pulse." She laid three of her fingers on Magnus' wrist and counted while keeping one eye on her watch. Then she frowned and repeated the process.

"Magnus, can you by any chance feel your heartbeat in your throat?"

Magnus seemed surprised but nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"Your heart rate is at 140 beats per minute. For a human, that would be way too fast. I don't know what it means in a warlock."

Alec continued writing everything down, forehead creased in a worried frown. This didn't sound good at all.

Izzy was talking to Magnus again. "You said earlier that your stomach still hurts. When's the last time you ate something?"

Magnus opened his mouth then closed it again.

"He hasn't eaten anything since I got here. He's only had tea and some beef broth," Alec informed his sister, voice hesitant. "Should I have tried harder to get him to eat? Did I make it worse?"

Izzy reached over to squeeze his arm. "Calm down, Alec. I'm just gathering as much information as I can before I call Catarina."

She waited until Alec gave her a shaky nod before she turned back to Magnus. "With your permission, I'd like to examine your stomach."

"O-kay…" Magnus sounded anything but happy about that request, and Izzy supposed she could kind of understand his reluctance.

"I need you to lie down flat on your back and open your pajama top. I'll do my best to be gentle."

She waited patiently for Magnus to wriggle down the bed and unbutton his pajamas. The look he aimed at her was full of trepidation.

Izzy laid her hands on his torso right below the ribcage and started her examination. Magnus' stomach felt tense to her touch but there were no hard lumps as far as she could tell.

Every time Magnus winced or flinched during the examination, Alec's fingers clenched. He wanted so badly to take his boyfriend's pain away but knew that he couldn't, and it hurt to have to see him like this.

Once Izzy was done with the examination, she pulled the covers up to Magnus' chest to keep him warm.

"Your stomach is tense, and you are obviously in pain but I didn't find any signs of severe gastro-intestinal problems. I'm going to call Catarina now, and I hope she has an idea how we can help you."

*

Izzy had taken Alec's notes and retreated to the living room for her call to Catarina.

Alec and Magnus took the opportunity for a trip to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

It worried Alec that Magnus seemed even weaker than before. He sincerely hoped Catarina knew what to do.

*

When Alec and Magnus returned to the bedroom – Magnus in fresh pajamas and Alec in jeans and a t-shirt – Izzy was waiting next to the bed.

Alec helped Magnus get comfortable in bed, and both turned expectant gazes towards Izzy.

"Catarina says it sounds like your blood sugar might be too low. That can happen if you don't eat anything. She would like to do a few tests to be sure. She's preparing a few things we'll need, and I will meet her for lunch and get everything. In the meantime she recommends we attach another bag of saline to your IV and give you a few bites to eat – a bit of plain rice or maybe a saltine."

Magnus groaned. He didn't mind the IV but just the thought of food turned his stomach.

"She also says you should rest, and a hot water bottle is a good idea."

"Thank you, Izzy," Alec said. "I'm really glad you're here to help us. I will prepare a hot water bottle right away if you take care of the saline."

"Anytime, Alec. And will do. If you're going to the kitchen anyway I could use a cup of coffee."

"You'll get it." Alec kissed Magnus' temple and, with a muttered "Be right back!", left for the kitchen.

Izzy grabbed a fresh bag of saline from the supplies and put it on the stand before she attached the line to Magnus' hand.

"There you go. Half a liter of fluids for breakfast."

"I wouldn't mind if it was the only breakfast," Magnus admitted.

"But your body needs something it can turn into energy." She reached out to take his hand. "Now, since Alec will be busy in the kitchen for a bit, why don't you tell me how you really are?"

When Magnus opened his mouth to protest the assumption he hadn't told her the truth, she interrupted him.

" _Not_ the I-don't-want-Alec-to-worry-about-me version. The plain, un-edited truth."

Magnus glared at her. "I feel like crap. I can't stand without strong support. I can't move under my own power. Most of the time I'm too weak to raise a cup to my lips," he hissed, interrupted by coughs. "And Alexander… he just… he's…" Magnus cleared his throat and made a visible effort to calm down. "He's not my first partner. He isn't even my tenth or hundredth. Nobody before him has _ever_ taken care of me like that before." He swallowed, throat tight.

"Nobody before Alexander has ever given me a gift just for the joy of giving. Now he's even rearranged his whole life to be there for me, take care of me. He hasn't complained even once. He's attentive and loving and supportive and takes care of all my needs. He even got you, Jace and Clary to help." Tears made Magnus' eyes burn and painted wet tracks down his cheeks. He didn't even try to wipe them away. "And this whole time I've been waiting for him to realize it's not what he wants, to tell me I'm not worth this kind of effort. To leave. By now I know that if he does, I'm dead. I would never have made it this far without his help. Right now, he's literally holding my life in his hands. Why would he do all this for me?"

More tears fell.

Izzy reached out and pulled Magnus into an embrace, gently encouraging him to rest his head on her shoulder. "Alec is here because he loves you with all his heart. His eyes light up when he talks about you, and I've never before seen him as happy as he is now with you. He will not leave you, he will not consider you a burden, he will not abandon you to your fate." She rubbed Magnus' back soothingly.

"As for the rest of us: Even if you weren't practically my brother-in-law and thus part of the family, you've helped us so often, saved us and our friends. We're not going anywhere."

She held Magnus until his sobs quieted and the tears stopped and then helped him clean his face just in time before Alec returned with coffee, tea and a hot water bottle.

Alec handed the coffee to Izzy and helped Magnus place the hot water bottle on his stomach. "The rice needs a few more minutes. I thought you might want to have a sip or two of fennel tea before you try anything solid."

"I'd rather not try any solid food, but I guess I don't have much choice," Magnus told him. "Thank you for the tea."

Alec sat down on the edge of the bed and lifted the tea cup to Magnus' lips.

Magnus took his time swallowing a few mouthfuls of fennel tea. He could already feel the stomach pain increasing and groaned.

Alec set the cup down on the nightstand and reached out one hand to stroke the side of his boyfriend's face.

Magnus leaned into the touch, and Alec turned the caress into a gentle head massage. His boyfriend hummed his approval.

"Izzy, could you go to the kitchen, empty the pot into the sieve in the sink and bring back a spoonful or two of rice?" Alec asked as he now used both hands to carefully massage Magnus' scalp and neck.

His sister's retreating footsteps were all the answer he needed.

Alec proceeded to carefully and thoroughly knead the tension out of his boyfriend's neck muscles. The angle was somewhat awkward from the front, but it was worth the effort: Magnus had his eyes closed and was producing purr-like sounds although he was still clutching the hot water bottle to his stomach.

"I hate to interrupt you two, but the rice is done and Magnus needs the sustenance," sounded Izzy's voice from the door. She held a small bowl from which steam was rising and a spoon in her hands.

Magnus groaned, but Alec kissed him on the lips. "We can always continue this later."

Izzy handed the bowl and spoon to Alec who raised a spoonful of rice to Magnus' lips.

"Open up, love."

Magnus reluctantly did chew and swallow the rice.

Alec helped him wash it down with a sip of tea and offered another spoonful of rice, but Magnus turned his head away.

"Can we leave it at just one?" he begged. "It feels bad enough already."

Alec put the bowl and spoon away. "Alright. Do you need anything else?"

"Some music, company and maybe a nap?" Magnus sounded hopeful.

"That can be arranged. Right, Izzy?"

Alec turned to his sister, who nodded.

"Sure. Let me just carry the cups and bowl into the kitchen. I'll be right back."

Alec watched her leave and walked over to the stereo to put on some soothing music. Then he resumed his position on the edge of the bed and reached out one hand to stroke through Magnus' hair.

Izzy came back and sat down at the foot of the bed, watching her brother and his boyfriend. In her opinion, they were good for each other and belonged together. She would do everything she could to help them get through this.

*

By the time Izzy had to leave for her lunch appointment, Magnus had fallen into an uneasy sleep, with Alec still stroking his hair, so Izzy gave her brother a quick one-armed hug and left the apartment.

Alec waited a few minutes longer to make sure Magnus stayed asleep, then established a call between their phones again and went to the kitchen to put away the groceries and herbs his sister had brought them in the morning.

With that taken care of, he retreated to the living room where the baby monitor was still waiting for more paint. He filled a plastic cup halfway with water, uncapped the white, silver and dark grey glitter paints and unpacked two more paint brushes.

Alec lifted one of the units off the table and started adding whirling, flowing shapes with the glitter paint. He was going for the impression of gusts of wind and little tornadoes filled with glitter.

When he was satisfied with the way the first unit looked – it was no piece of art but he thought the shapes were recognizable – he put it back on the table and picked up the other one to decorate it as well.

He was just on his way to empty the plastic cup afterwards when he heard Magnus call his name in an urgent tone.

Alec immediately rushed to the bedroom, where his boyfriend was fighting his way out of the covers.

"Bathroom- Now!"

The young Shadowhunter didn't ask any questions and just picked up his boyfriend and carried him into the bathroom as quickly as he could. There, he left Magnus to his business but could hear his boyfriend's pained groans through the closed door.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Izzy came back with two bags of supplies, Magnus was curled up in bed, a hot water bottle clutched to his stomach once more.

Alec was rubbing his boyfriend's back and only turned his head to look at his sister. "What did Catarina say? What can we do? What's wrong with him?"

Izzy put down the bags and lifted her hands in surrender. "Easy, Alec. Slow down. How is Magnus?"

"Nauseous and in pain," sounded Magnus' muffled voice from the bed.

"That bit of rice he ate earlier made the cramps worse and brought back the diarrhea," Alec explained. "He's in really bad shape, Iz. We _have_ to help him!"

Izzy squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "And we will. Catarina thinks she knows what's wrong but she wants me to examine Magnus again while she watches –"

"No!" Magnus interrupted her. "She can't come in here! She'll catch the Warlock Cold!"

"Magnus. Magnus! Calm down. She won't set a foot in the apartment. Catarina showed me an app called Skype and I installed it on my phone. It lets us establish a video call. If Alec holds the phone for me she can watch everything I do."

Apparently mundanes had developed some useful computer programs. Alec wouldn't have thought that mundane discoveries could be this useful to Shadowhunters. "Of course I'll hold the phone. That is, if Magnus agrees to it." He shot his boyfriend a questioning look.

Magnus slowly rolled onto his back and thought about it. If there hadn't been the risk of Catarina catching the disease, he would have called her days ago to ask for her help. So he guessed it was alright to let her watch Izzy examine him. Anything to get rid of the pain and the nausea. Well, not _anything_. "It's alright. Catarina may watch. What do you need me to do?"

"Let me call Catarina, and we'll get started," Izzy answered.

Then she took out her phone and established a Skype connection the way Catarina had shown her.

"Oh Magnus, you look like hell. I'm so sorry my artifact did this to you." Worry and concern were evident in Catarina's voice.

Magnus waved a hand as if to say _Don't worry about it_. "Just tell me what I can do to get through this, old friend."

Catarina smiled at him. "One step at a time, my friend. Examination first. Ms. Lightwood?"

Izzy took out a notepad and pen – since Alec was holding her phone he couldn't take notes for her this time – and started unpacking her supplies. "Please take off your pajama top, Magnus. I will need access to your arm, chest, stomach and back for the examination."

Magnus complied with her request then raised an eyebrow at the sight of the needle and syringes Izzy had unpacked. "What are those for?"

Izzy smiled reassuringly. "I need a bit of your blood. Don't worry. I can use the access in your hand to draw it. You won't feel a thing."

Magnus, Alec and Catarina watched as Izzy first flushed the catheter with some saline and then proceeded to fill three small syringes with her patient's blood.

Izzy labeled the syringes and put them in a box designed for the transport of medical samples.

"Now I will check your blood pressure. You will feel some pressure when the cuff is pumped full of air. Please do not move while the device works or we might get a false result."

She waited for Magnus to nod and then slipped the cuff onto his upper arm and adjusted it for a snug fit.

Catarina had lent her an electrical device that would make it possible for Alec to take Magnus' blood pressure during the day if needed.

Izzy pressed the button to start the blood pressure monitor and felt Magnus flinch when he heard the whirring sound the device emitted and felt the cuff tightening around his arm.

"Everything's fine, Magnus. That's how it's supposed to work."

Doubt showed in Magnus' eyes, but he didn't protest or attempt to get rid of the cuff.

When the blood pressure monitor beeped to indicate it had a result, Izzy read the numbers with a frown.

"Your blood pressure is 154 over 101, and your heart rate is 143." She looked at Catarina – or rather at the camera lens of her phone – and asked "Is that good or bad news for a warlock?"

"Warlocks are very similar to humans, Ms. Lightwood. That means Magnus' heart is beating way too fast and his blood pressure is too high. I do have my suspicions as to the reasons but I need a bit more information before I can be sure. Please listen to his lungs next the way I showed you."

Izzy nodded and removed the blood pressure cuff from Magnus' arm. Then she wrote down Magnus' blood pressure and heart rate and retrieved a stethoscope from one of the bags. She turned back to Magnus.

"I will now listen to your heart and lungs, Magnus. You need to breathe deeply while I do this."

Under Magnus' curious gaze, Izzy put the ear pieces in her ears and raised the resonator to his chest. There she listened carefully as Catarina had taught her after lunch, then moved to the next spot and repeated the process.

"Could you please lean forward a bit, Magnus? I need to listen from the back as well."

She waited for him to comply and then finished her auscultation of lungs and heart.

Izzy indicated for Magnus to lean back again and turned to the camera. "His lungs sound clear. No crackling, no wet sounds. Blood sugar next?"

At Catarina's affirmative response, Izzy quickly scribbled down the results and then unpacked everything she would need to determine Magnus' blood sugar level. She turned back to Magnus. "To test your blood sugar, I need a drop or two of blood from one of your fingertips. It'll sting a little."

Magnus groaned. "More blood? Don't you have enough already?" He held out his hand for Izzy anyway.

She took his hand in both of hers and started massaging it. At Magnus' puzzled look, she explained: "Massaging the hand increases circulation and makes it easier to get the blood. Washing your hands with really warm water would do the trick as well, but I didn't think you'd want to move to the bathroom right now."

Izzy opened the package of an alcohol wipe and thoroughly cleaned Magnus' index finger.

"If you wash your hands with soap and warm water you don't need the alcohol wipe. It is important though to make sure your skin is free of any sugary residues because those would change the test results."

She took the glucose meter and one test strip and demonstrated to Magnus and Alec where to insert the strip. Then Izzy picked up the lancing device and a lancet. She removed the cap and showed her brother and his boyfriend how to assemble it. As she gently removed the safety cap from the lancet and slipped the cap of the device back on, she told them: "This is a spring-loaded lancing device. Inserting a new lancet automatically loads the device. You can also manually load it by pulling here." She showed them the spot. "The lancet needs to be changed after about four uses. You gently pull the used lancet free from its socket and put in a new one." Izzy placed the tip against Magnus' index finger and continued her explanation.

"Don't place it right in the middle of the pad. Most people are quite sensitive there. It hurts less if you take the blood from the side of the fingertip. Once you push this button," she said as she did so and Magnus flinched "the needle punctures the skin. Now just hold the test strip to the blood and wait for a result."

Izzy placed a cotton square on the injection site and put some pressure on it. The glucose meter beeped.

"Your blood sugar is only 53 mg/dL. That is pretty low. "Izzy looked to the camera for confirmation.

"Yes, that is very low," Catarina replied. "I had feared as much. We need to do something about that as soon as we finish the examination."

Izzy nodded, wrote down the result and took a look at Magnus' index finger. The bleeding had stopped.

"If you put pressure on the puncture for a bit, you won't even need a band-aid. Now I need you to lie down flat on your back so I can examine your stomach again."

"Do you _have_ to do that again? You already examined my stomach this morning!"

That was most definitely a whine. Izzy didn't blame Magnus, though. If it were her in his place she'd be trying to avoid anyone touching her stomach as well. Before she could say as much, Catarina's voice sounded from the phone.

"I'm sorry, Magnus, but it has to be done. Just try and stay as relaxed as you can. It won't take long."

Magnus just groaned and scooted down the bed a bit, letting Izzy remove the pillow from behind him as he went.

Izzy rubbed her palms together to make sure she at least wasn't going to touch her patient with cold hands and reached out. She did a thorough stomach examination and tried – and failed – to tune out Magnus' hitched breaths and small flinches.

Next, she picked up the stethoscope again.

"Magnus, I'm going to listen to your stomach now to see how your intestines are working. The stethoscope will probably feel cool to your skin."

Magnus nodded almost imperceptibly. His eyes were closed and his hands clenched into fists by his side. His entire posture radiated tension and pain.

Izzy put the stethoscope's ear pieces in her ears  again and touched the resonator to Magnus' skin. Following the instructions Catarina had given her she worked her way all over his stomach.

When she was finished, she turned to the camera. "His abdomen is tense and my touch was obviously painful for him but there are no palpable abnormalities. His bowel sounds seem increased to me."

There was a moment of silence before Catarina answered. "That is not unusual with stomach cramps and diarrhea. Painful and inconvenient, but not unusual. Now, Ms. Lightwood, you need to take his temperature."

Izzy nodded but completed her notes first. Then she rummaged through the bags until she had found the medical thermometer, the box of protective covers and the bottle of lubricant. She could practically _feel_ Alec's eyebrows rising as he took in her supplies.

Magnus still had his eyes closed.

Izzy gently touched Magnus' shoulder and waited for him to look up at her. "Magnus, please roll onto your side, facing away from me, and pull down your pajama pants a bit so I can take your temperature."

Magnus just looked at her incredulously. "You want me to do _what_?" He was sure he had to have misheard.

Before Izzy could even open her mouth to explain, Catarina beat her to it. "I know it isn't exactly fun, but it needs to be done. Taking the temperature rectally gets the most precise results."

At Magnus' – and Alec's, but she couldn't see _his_ face – uncomprehending look, Catarina elaborated. "Ms. Lightwood will cover the thermometer with a protective cover and some water-based lubricant and then insert the tip into your anus. The thermometer needs to stay there for about two minutes."

Magnus and Alec both shuddered.

Catarina either hadn't seen their reaction or was ignoring it. "Ms. Lightwood will then retrieve it, read the result and throw away the plastic cover and shake the thermometer to reset it. It may feel somewhat uncomfortable but shouldn't hurt. You can make it easier on yourself by staying relaxed."

Magnus didn't look convinced, but after one last look at Izzy's supplies, he slowly turned onto his side, facing away from the young Shadowhunter. He tried to push down his pajama pants but was still too weak to raise his hips off the bed.

"Wait, let me help you." Alec put down the phone at the foot of the bed for the moment – let Catarina admire the fine weave of the sheets – and moved further up the bed. He gently touched Magnus' hip, trying not to startle him.

"I'm going to lift you up a bit so I can lower your pants, alright?"

Magnus nodded. "Go ahead."

Alec slipped one arm around his boyfriend's torso and gripped him right above the waistband of his pajama pants. He lifted Magnus far enough off the sheets so he could pull down the pants to mid-thigh with his other hand then gently lowered his boyfriend back onto the sheets again.

"Thanks," Magnus muttered.

Alec returned to the foot of the bed and picked up the phone, shielding Magnus from view with his own body. "You don't need to actually watch this part, do you?"

"Not necessarily, no," replied Catarina, trying and failing to suppress the amusement the question caused her.

Izzy had meanwhile prepared the thermometer as instructed by Catarina. Now she leaned forward and laid her free hand onto Magnus' hip. "Alright, Magnus. Just relax and this will be done in a few minutes."

"Just get it over with," Magnus grunted. Then he drew his upper leg closer to his torso to give Izzy better access.

Despite it being her first time at taking somebody's temperature, Izzy managed to insert the thermometer without Magnus flinching or wincing.

Now they just had to wait.

The two minutes seemed like hours to Magnus. He wasn't a shy person, but being exposed like this was anything but comfortable. The thermometer in him felt strange and foreign. When Izzy finally removed it, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"103 degrees," Izzy read out. "That is still pretty high, right?"

Catarina confirmed that from the foot of the bed where Alec had placed the phone again so he could help Magnus pull up his pajama pants.

When Magnus was back under the covers and Izzy had disposed of the protective thermometer cover, Alec picked the phone back up and positioned himself so Catarina could see Izzy and Magnus.

"So, what's the verdict?" Magnus asked.

Izzy let Catarina answer that question.

"We will keep an eye on your body temperature, but fever like that is to be expected with a Warlock Cold. Since there is no known cure for that disease, our main problem right now is that you can't keep enough food and fluids in. We can do something about that."

All three people in the room sighed in relief.

"Ms. Lightwood, please inject one amp – one ampule, that is – of glucose into his IV. Magnus' blood sugar is dangerously low, and we don't want him to fall unconscious or start hallucinating."

Alec shuddered. No, they really didn't want that.

"Please keep the phone steady, Mr. Lightwood."

He obeyed.

Catarina waited for Izzy to follow her instructions before she continued.

"Now, the glucose is a short-term solution. As long as Magnus has trouble keeping food down we need to supply his body with glucose, electrolytes, vitamins and so on. Since I already suspected this might be the case I packed several bags of _parenteral nutrition formulation_ into those supply bags. Ms. Lightwood will attach one to the IV at the beginning of each day. In the evening, she will give Magnus one bag of saline. If his blood sugar is low, she will add one amp of glucose to the bag."

Izzy was hastily writing down the instructions.

"Magnus, you need to try to drink and eat something every few hours."

Catarina ignored his groan.

"Believe me, you don't want to get your body used to not having to digest anything. I'm not asking you to consume large amounts of food, but you need to take a few sips of tea, maybe eat a saltine."

Magnus obviously still didn't like that advice.

"Ms. Lightwood will examine the blood samples and send me the results. She will also draw fresh samples every morning. Furthermore, you, Magnus, will collect urine and stool samples – urine in the morning, stool twice a day if possible. Sample containers and instructions are in the bag. If you are too weak on your own, let Mr. Lightwood help you."

Neither 'Mr. Lightwood' nor Magnus looked happy at that announcement.

"Ms. Lightwood will leave a box with you to store the sample containers in until her next visit. You also need to take Magnus' blood pressure in the morning, check his blood sugar at least twice a day and take his temperature in the morning and in the evening."

Catarina paused, and Magnus dreaded what kind of tests and samples she might ask for next.

"Gentlemen – and lady – this is a unique opportunity. Nobody has ever catalogued the symptoms and treatments of a patient with Warlock Cold. The data you collect now may very well be the first step to a cure!"

"I'd be a lot happier about that news if I weren't the source of all that data you are hoping to collect!" Magnus complained from the bed.

Of course he was all for Catarina finding a cure for Warlock Cold. That disease had been hovering above every warlock's head like the Sword of Damocles since… well, since forever. Nobody knew its origins or when it first struck down a warlock. The only way to avoid infection was to never touch old books and artifacts and to stay away from other warlocks. In other words: You could try and minimize the risk but there was no guarantee for anyone.

Still, the number of tests and samples they would need made him shudder. From what he knew about Warlock Cold, he could look forward to being poked and prodded and examined several times a day for _at least_ a week. That thought made Magnus want to curl up and hide under the covers.

Some of those thoughts must have shown on his face because Catarina chuckled. "Don't look at me like that, old friend. I'm sorry _you_ caught Warlock Cold from an artifact in _my_ collection. In some way, however, I'm also glad it's you. No other warlock I know or have ever known has so many non-warlock friends who can and will help him get through the disease."

That wasn't much consolation to Magnus, who was still in pain and tired and feeling like crap. He _knew_ he'd have been dead by now without Alexander and the others, had told Izzy so, but this disease was still a lot like hell on earth for him.

So while he could understand Catarina's reasoning on a rational level, he'd still much rather never have contracted Warlock Cold in the first place.

"Now, Ms. Lightwood, you might want to hang one nutrition bag now. Since Magnus already had a bag of saline in the morning, he won't need another one tonight. That should be it for right now. Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions or need medical advice. Magnus, let your Shadowhunter boyfriend take good care of you and get better soon!"

They all thanked Catarina for her help and then disconnected the call.

Izzy followed Catarina's orders. "I should probably get the blood samples back to the lab and start analyzing them. Alec, do you want me to bring takeout when I come back tonight?"

She assumed that her brother would want to stay by Magnus' side as much as possible today. Since it wasn't safe to eat anything she had made, takeout was her only way to help him with dinner.

"If you don't mind? That would be great!" Alec hugged his sister tightly, whispered a heartfelt "Thank you!" into her ear and then watched her leave.

*

Alec turned back to Magnus. "Would you like a fresh hot water bottle? Some tea? Anything?"

"A hot water bottle would be great. I guess I should also try to drink a bit of tea." The last sentence lacked all enthusiasm.

Alec collected the cold hot water bottle from the bed and went to the kitchen to prepare fresh fennel tea and heat up some water.

Magnus meanwhile snuggled into the covers and tried to ignore the cramps and pain in his stomach. He would have preferred to curl up into a tight ball but didn't think it would be a good idea, considering the bag still attached to his IV.

He realized that he felt less shaky now, after the glucose Izzy had given him. Of course he was still in pain and weak and feverish and feeling like crap, but there had been some small improvement at least.

When Alec returned with a steaming cup of fennel tea and the refilled hot water bottle, Magnus pushed down the covers so his boyfriend could place the hot water bottle on his stomach. Then he used one arm to make sure the heat source stayed where it belonged and accepted Alec's help in raising himself into a sitting position, leaning back against a pillow.

"Thank you. Now, let's get this over with." Magnus gestured towards the teacup on the nightstand.

Alec helped him lift the cup to his lips so he could take a few slow sips.

Magnus forced down about half a cup of tea before he pushed his boyfriend's hands away. "That's enough for now, I think."

Alec put the cup down and smiled at his boyfriend. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Magnus returned the smile. "Help me lie down again? I think I'll try to take a nap until that bag," he pointed at the IV stand "is empty."

Alec helped him scoot down the bed, then fluffed the pillow and put it under Magnus' head. He let one hand rest against Magnus' cheek and gently stroked the overheated, sweaty skin. "Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep?"

Magnus leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. "No. I'll be fine. Thank you."

Alec bent over his boyfriend and kissed him softly. "Sleep well then. Just say my name if you need anything."

He established a call between his phone and Magnus' again and went into the kitchen. He hadn't eaten anything all day and felt quite hungry by now. He could have activated his Nourishment rune and would have done so had Magnus asked him to stay with him, but he did prefer solid food.

Since he wasn't sure how much time he would have until Magnus needed him again, Alec decided to just make a sandwich. That would tide him over until dinner time, when Izzy was supposed to show up again with takeout.

The young Shadowhunter ate and then made his way into the living room, where the baby monitor still waited to be fully transformed into a proper Magnus Monitor.

Alec unpacked the rhinestones, tweezers and superglue. Then he spent some time thinking about the best placement for the different stones. In the end, he glued on some white rhinestones as stars and used the colored ones to accentuate the swirls and tornadoes.

Leaving both units on the table to dry, Alec walked to the bedroom door and opened it quietly. He hadn't heard anything over the phone the whole time and just wanted to see if the IV bag was empty by now.

But the sight of Magnus' face screwed up in pain and his hands clenched around fistfuls of the duvet had him by the bed with a few quick strides.

"Magnus?" he whispered.

His boyfriend just groaned.

"Why didn't you call for me?"

"Nothing you could have done. Just hurts." Magnus' voice sounded hoarse and strained.

"I could have been with you. Maybe I could have taken your mind off the pain," Alec replied.

Since the bag of nutrition formulation was completely empty, Alec disconnected it from Magnus' IV and put it aside.

Then he reached out for his boyfriend's hands and gently tugged them free of the duvet. Alec gripped Magnus' hands with his own and softly rubbed his thumbs over the skin.

"Feel free to squeeze my hands as hard as you need to. Don't hesitate to tell me if there is anything else I can do to make you feel better."

They stayed like that for quite some time. Alec began to wonder whether he was going to need to activate his _iratze_ afterwards, because Magnus' grip on his fingers was turning rather painful. Gritting his teeth, Alec did his best to keep his expression neutral and not show any outward sign of discomfort. He wanted his boyfriend to take as much comfort from his presence as he could.

Suddenly, Magnus squeezed his hands even harder and fought to sit up. "Alec, I need to go to the bathroom!"

Alec didn't hesitate. He gently pulled his boyfriend into a sitting position by the hands then carefully worked his hands free so he could pick up Magnus and carry him to the bathroom in a rush.

Once there, he helped Magnus pull down the pajama pants and sit down on the toilet.

"Let me get a sample container and then I'll wait outside, okay?"

Magnus groaned and shook his head. "I'm afraid you need to stay. There's no way I can get the sample without falling flat on my face."

Alec hesitated a moment, but nodded. "All right. I'll be right back with the container."


	7. Chapter 7

Staying with Magnus for a quite obviously painful bowel movement and then collecting a sample had been really awkward, Alec mused as he helped his boyfriend brush his teeth.

"Do you want to take a hot bath next? It might help with the pain."

Magnus nodded and gave his boyfriend a grateful look.

Alec made sure that Magnus was in no danger of falling off the stool before he went to the kitchen to boil some water and drop some spruce needles into a small pot.

He returned to the bathroom in time to hand Magnus a cup of water to rinse his mouth with.

"Now, we have another 20 minutes or so before I can run your bath. I could give you a neck and shoulder massage while we're waiting."

"Mmh, yes, please," Magnus hummed.

Alec started out just rubbing his boyfriend's shoulders, slowly warming up the skin and muscles, then sought out the spots with the most tension and worked on those until they relaxed under his fingers.

Magnus had his eyes closed and moaned every time a knot of tension surrendered to Alec's skillful ministrations.

Suddenly, Magnus tensed and grabbed one of Alec's hands.

"Help me to the toilet, quick!"

Alec did as asked and this time just removed Magnus' pajama pants altogether. "I'll be right back."

Magnus was too busy groaning and wincing to respond.

Alec took the filled sample container with him, labeled it as requested by Catarina and Izzy and put it in the box Izzy had left with them for that purpose.

Then he went to the kitchen to pour the boiling water over the spruce needles. He set an alarm on his phone to alert him after 15 minutes.

Magnus was looking quite miserable when Alec returned but indicated for him to help him get up.

The young Shadowhunter complied and half-supported, half-carried his boyfriend to the stool. He turned on the warm water and put the soap within Magnus' reach before he fetched some towels from the bedroom and put them on the towel heater for later.

By the time Magnus was done washing his hands, Alec was standing behind him again. "Are you ready for me to continue that massage?"

Magnus smiled at him in the mirror. "Most definitely, yes." He closed his eyes as Alec picked up where he'd left off.

Alec worked his way from the neck up to the scalp. He found every single knot of tension on his way and only moved on once the muscles had relaxed again.

By the time the 15-minute-alarm sounded, Alec had almost reached Magnus' forehead.

"That's telling me it's now time to draw your bath." Alec took out his phone and deactivated the alarm. Then he plugged the bathtub drain and turned on the hot water. He'd add some cold to it later.

"Do you want me to get in the tub with you so you can use me as a pillow?" He needed to know how far he should undress, after all.

Magnus gave the question some thought. He would have liked nothing better than to snuggle against Alec's chest and have him rub his head or shoulder. His stomach was still grumbling and cramping, however, and he was afraid he might have another bout of diarrhea. If he couldn't get out of the tub in time… well, he _really_ didn't want Alec to be in the tub with him if that happened. "I think I'd like to soak in the tub alone, if you don't mind?"

Alec gave him a surprised look. "Okay. I'll be right back with your bath additive."

On his way to the kitchen, he paused in the bedroom to undress to his underwear. He poured the contents of the pot through a sieve into a bowl that he carried back to the bathroom.

Alec checked the water level in the tub and found that it was time to add some cold water. It wasn't his intention to boil Magnus, after all!

He emptied the bowl into the tub, and the scent of spruce needles immediately filled the room. Alec heard Magnus take a long, deep breath and then hum in obvious appreciation of the scent.

The young Shadowhunter waited until the tub was filled and the water had the right temperature before he turned off the taps. "Alright. Your bath is ready."

Alec went over to Magnus and gently picked him up.

Magnus immediately wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck and leaned his head against his shoulder. "Thank you." He brushed his lips against Alec's skin and received a kiss to his forehead in return.

"You're welcome." Alec carefully lowered Magnus into the hot water and heard his boyfriend sigh in contentment.

"I assume that means I got the temperature right?" Alec asked with a grin.

"Mmmh, it's perfect." Magnus leaned back against the tub wall and closed his eyes. "I think I'm just going to stay here forever."

Alec chuckled. "I'm afraid the water won't stay warm that long."

"The first thing I'm going to do once I have the use of my magic back," Magnus grumbled "is put a permanent water heating spell on that tub. That way, the water will never get cold again."

That turned Alec's chuckle into a full-out laugh. "Well, I fully approve."

 _The things they could get up to in this tub if they didn't have to pay any attention to water temperature anymore…_ Alec didn't share that line of thought with Magnus. Instead, he rubbed his boyfriend's scalp with one hand.

Magnus hummed and leaned into the touch. "That feels nice. Keep spoiling me like that and you'll never be able to get rid of me."

Alec leaned over the tub and pulled Magnus closer until their noses almost touched. He waited for Magnus to open his eyes and meet his gaze. "Then I guess it's a good thing that I have no intention to ever let you go. I want to spend my whole life with you."

Alec closed the distance and kissed his boyfriend gently. When he felt Magnus respond, he deepened the kiss, trying to convey his feelings with lips and tongue.

Magnus wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders and clung to him, enjoying the kiss. His eyes slipped shut again and he moaned as Alec's grip on his hair tightened slightly.

When Alec finally pulled back a little, both of them were breathless. The Shadowhunter rubbed his thumb across Magnus' kiss-swollen lower lip without letting go of the back of his head with the other hand. "I'm not going to leave you. I love you."

Magnus kissed the thumb resting against his lip. Then he darted the tip of his tongue forward for a quick lick and watched Alec's eyes darken. "If I weren't sick right now-"

Alec shushed him with gentle pressure of his thumb and smiled at him. "I can wait."

But he couldn't tear his gaze away from his boyfriend's cat eyes. They'd always fascinated him. To him, those golden irises and slit pupils were exotic and gorgeous and he wouldn't have minded one bit if Magnus had decided to stop glamoring them. Hopefully, one day Magnus would really, _really_ believe him that his eyes were beautiful.

Alec leaned in again and slid his thumb from his boyfriend's lip to his chin. Then he started to brush feather-light kisses on his mouth, just soft touches of lips on lips.

Magnus moaned and felt goose bumps rise on his skin. He clung more tightly to Alec and moved one hand up to the back of his head to grip the black hair and pull his boyfriend as close as possible.

When he took his hand from Alec's shoulder so he could touch himself, his boyfriend caught the hand in his own before he even made contact with the water.

"We promised Izzy we wouldn't get the IV wet, remember?"

The IV? Magnus had simply forgotten about that in the heat of the moment. Well, luckily he had two hands. When he tried to reach down with the other one, however, he realized that his arm was trapped in his tight embrace with Alec who didn't budge.

"Alexander, I need--" he whined, only to be cut off by a kiss.

"I know." Another kiss. "I'll take care of you."

Now Alec was mouthing along his jawline. His hand was sliding down from Magnus' chin, over his throat and to his chest. The long fingers found a nipple and started to gently rub and pinch it.

Magnus shivered and moaned.

"Just keep your hands out of the water and relax."

Magnus clenched one hand around a fistful of Alec's hair, which earned him a deep groan against his neck, and clung to his boyfriend's shoulder with the other.

Alec was kissing and licking Magnus' neck, one hand still buried in his boyfriend's hair and the other travelling down from Magnus' chest to his groin, bypassing his stomach altogether.

Magnus' head fell back and he moaned in pleasure.

*

Alec helped Magnus, who was dressed in fresh pajamas, settle into bed and pulled up the covers to his chin.

Magnus was already half-asleep after the hot bath and Alec's very enjoyable methods of helping him relax. When Alec straightened and Magnus got a good look at his boyfriend's groin, he tried to sit up.

"Wait. You didn't… don't you want me to-"

Alec gently pushed him back onto the pillow and smiled at him. "It's fine. This was about making _you_ feel better. You said the warm water helped a bit with the stomach pain, so you should use this opportunity to get some sleep."

"But you-"

Alec silenced him with a kiss. "I'm a big boy, I'll survive. In fact, I'll go shave and shower if you don't need me right now." _And take care of that myself_ hung in the air unspoken.

Magnus pulled him into another quick kiss then smiled. "Thank you. Gonna think of me in the shower?" The wink and the direction of his gaze made his meaning quite clear.

Alec grinned. "Of course!"

*

By the time Alec came out of the bathroom – clean-shaven, relaxed, dressed in track pants and a t-shirt and towel-drying his hair – Magnus had fallen asleep.

Magnus' face was peaceful and the one hand that was visible on top of the covers looked relaxed.

Alec tip-toed to the nightstand to establish a connection between their phones again and then left the bedroom as quietly as he could.

In the living room he rummaged through the supplies bags for the finisher. The glue had dried, and it was time for the final step of decorating the baby monitor.

Alec read the instructions on the can carefully, then picked up the masking tape to protect the surface of the night light. He shook the can several times before he covered both units in an even layer of transparent finisher. It would take several hours to dry completely, but then the Magnus Monitor would be ready for use.

Alec packed all the supplies he had used away in one bag and moved that into a closet. Maybe he'd ask Clary if she wanted the leftover supplies for one of her art projects. He didn't think that _he_ 'd be doing any painting again anytime soon.

Next he went out on the balcony to collect the cats' empty food and water dishes. Alec took them to the kitchen, cleaned them thoroughly and refilled them.

When he carried them back outside, the cats were already there, waiting for him. Alec barely managed to set the dishes down between the cats without letting any of the over-eager animals upend one or more of them.

He sat down and watched the cats devour the food within minutes. They even licked up the crumbs.

Afterwards, some cats left and others made themselves comfortable on the balcony. A grey tabby came over to Alec and twined around his legs.

Alec reached down and scratched the cat's head. "Hey there. Are you thanking me for the food or marking me as your property?"

_Great. Now I'm talking to animals._

The cat just purred and pushed its head into his palm.

Alec continued to pet the animal until it decided to leave and then went inside to wash his hands.

He had just picked a book to read when Izzy showed up with a bag of Chinese takeout and a fresh box for sample containers.

Alec greeted her with a hug.

"Magnus is asleep right now, so I suggest we eat first. Besides, I'm kind of hungry."

Izzy grinned. "That's fine by me. Kitchen?"

Alec nodded.

He poured water for both of them and grabbed plates and cutlery from the cupboards.

During the next forty minutes, Izzy filled him in on everything that had happened at the Institute today – which wasn't much, and nothing he needed to take care of personally – in between bites of egg roll, Kung Pao Chicken, Moo Shu Pork, Szechuan Beef and steamed rice.

When they had cleared away the boxes and dishes, Alec gave his sister a brief summary of Magnus' symptoms since her last visit. His question about any new results of the blood tests she might have, made her shake her head, though.

"Let's talk about it in the bedroom. I'm sure Magnus wants to be kept in the loop as well. Were you able to get a stool sample today?"

Alec nodded. "I put it in the box. Let's go wake Magnus."

He would have preferred to let his boyfriend sleep for as long as the disease allowed him, since he was sure his body needed the rest. He couldn't exactly ask Izzy to spend half the night here to wait for Magnus to wake up, though.

They entered the bedroom and Alec disconnected the call to Magnus' phone before he put a hand on his sleeping boyfriend's shoulder. "Magnus? I need you to wake up."

It took a moment for Magnus to react, but then he opened his eyes and looked up at Alec.

"I'm sorry for waking you, but Izzy is here to examine you again."

Magnus' gaze found Izzy and he groaned. "Is it time for that again already? Did the blood samples at least tell you something useful about Warlock Cold?"

Izzy smiled down at him. She didn't mind Magnus' tone or words since she knew how uncomfortable and even painful those examinations had been for him. "Yes, it is time. I have finished analyzing the blood samples and asked Catarina for her advice on correctly interpreting the results. She knows a lot more about warlock physiology than I do. You have an elevated count of white blood cells in your blood, which is a non-specific reaction of your immune system. It means your body is fighting against something but doesn't specify against what. I also checked for immune globulins. You have a normal level of the so-called IgG and an elevated level of IgM and IgA. That tells me that you are currently fighting some kind of infection. I do hope that further samples and tests will reveal more information on the disease."

"I'm currently fighting some kind of infection? Really?" Magnus' voice dripped sarcasm. "I'm so glad you told me for I wouldn't have noticed otherwise!" He had raised his voice towards the end and now paid for that with a coughing fit.

Alec helped Magnus sit up and rubbed soothing circles into his back until the coughing stopped.

Izzy waited for Magnus to look up before she spoke. "I know that isn't much but it is already more information than we had this morning. Additional samples will help us understand the disease. I won't be able to cure you tomorrow, but at least we are gathering knowledge about Warlock Cold. That is the first step towards treating it successfully."

Magnus sighed. He knew she was trying to help and wouldn't insist on any unnecessary tests or treat him like her personal guinea pig, but he still didn't have to like it. Being woken from a sound sleep to be told it was poking-and-prodding-time again was far from a pleasurable experience.

"All right. What do you need me to do?"

Izzy smiled at him. "Please take off your pajama top. Since your blood pressure and heart rate were pretty high this afternoon we are going to check those first. Or rather, Alec will check them."

Alec gave her a startled look. "Me?"

Magnus looked just as surprised as he complied with Izzy's request to remove his pajama top.

Izzy nodded. "Yes, you. Drawing blood samples is the only thing on our list of necessary tests and samples that should really only be done by someone with some medical training and that is only necessary in the mornings. So if I make sure you can check Magnus' blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose and temperature without my help or supervision, I won't absolutely have to show up every single evening. I'll be available for missions or lab work at the Institute. Plus, I figured Magnus might prefer it if _you_ took his temperature in the future…"

Seeing the evident relief in Magnus' expression, she added "I guess I was right."

Alec looked from her to Magnus and back, then straightened. "Alright, Izzy. Show me what to do."

Izzy reached into her jacked pocket and retrieved a small notebook which she handed to him. "For the results. I will copy the data into my own notebook every morning, and you will write down the results of my morning examinations in yours as well. That way we have two identical sets of data. Just in case something ever happens to one of the notebooks."

Alec nodded and took a pen from the nightstand drawer. He wrote that day's date onto the first page and then put notebook and pen on the nightstand.

Izzy held out the blood pressure monitor and cuff to him until he took both. "Now, you want to make sure you always use the same arm to check the blood pressure because you may get different results from the other arm. You slip the cuff over Magnus' hand with the tube leading away from his body and slide it up to his upper arm. Then you need to make sure the tube exits the cuff at the inner side of Magnus' elbow before you tighten the cuff."

She waited for Alec to follow her instructions and then looked at his work. "Tighten it a bit more," she said after checking the cuff's fit.

Once Alec had done so, Izzy continued her explanation. "Now place the blood pressure monitor on an even surface and check that there are no kinks or knots in the tube. Tell Magnus that you are going to start the device so he knows not to move or speak until you have the result. Then push the start button."

Alec put the device on the nightstand, made sure the tube lay in a more or less straight line and looked at Magnus. "Here we go."

He pushed the button and listened to the blood pressure monitor pumping air into the cuff. It didn't take long at all until the device beeped.

Izzy leaned over his shoulder to read the result.

"Okay, the blood pressure is 100 over 59, which you can write down as 100-slash-59, and the heart rate is 85. That means we brought both down with our treatment. The blood pressure is even a little on the low side but that isn't unusual with an infection. The heart rate on the other hand is still somewhat elevated, which is to be expected in this situation."

Alec wrote those values down and then removed the cuff from Magnus' arm and handed the blood pressure monitor back to Izzy.

She took it and put it aside before she held out the glucose meter, container of test strips, lancing device and box of alcohol wipes to her brother. "Do you remember how to check Magnus' blood sugar?"

Alec thought about it for a moment and nodded. "I think so. Magnus, please hold out your hand."

Magnus complied, and Alec demonstrated with sure if somewhat hesitant movements that he had listened and watched carefully this afternoon.

When the glucose meter finally beeped, Alec read out the result to his sister. "78 mg/dL. That is better than before, right?" He wrote it down in his notebook.

Izzy nodded. "Yes, that is much better. Now you just need to check Magnus' temperature and we're done for today."

Magnus groaned.

Alec took his face between his hands and waited for his boyfriend to meet his gaze. "Hey. You know I'll be gentle. Once we're done, you get a nice hot water bottle and can go back to sleep."

Magnus held his gaze for a moment then sighed and looked away. "I'm being silly, sorry. Let's do this."

Alec kissed the tip of his nose. "No, I wouldn't exactly be eager in your place either. Now, roll over, will you?"

He helped Magnus get into position and then followed Izzy's instructions step-by-step.

"102.5 degrees," he read out once he'd retrieved the thermometer.

Izzy took a look at it as well to confirm the value. "That is a little bit lower than earlier, but he is still feverish. Now give the thermometer a good shake or two to reset it."

Alec did as he was told and wrote down Magnus' temperature in his notebook, then helped Magnus pull up the pajama pants and roll onto his back.

"I know you promised a hot water bottle and sleep, but can you help me to the bathroom first?" Magnus asked as he was putting his pajama top back on.

"Of course."

As Alec picked up Magnus and carried him to the bathroom, he saw from the corner of his eye that Izzy was cleaning up the supplies.

*

When they came back to the bedroom after both brushing their teeth as well, the bedroom window was open and Izzy was bent over the bed putting a fresh cover on the duvet. She'd obviously already changed the sheets and pillow case, made evident by the heap of sheets and covers on the floor.

"Izzy, you didn't have to do that!"

Izzy turned around at her brother's words and gave him a smile and a shrug. "I know. I just thought Magnus might like fresh sheets. Since I had the time..."

Magnus returned her smile. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Give me another minute and your bed will be ready."

Magnus snuggled into Alec's shoulder, quite happy to stay in his boyfriend's arms a bit longer.

Together they watched Izzy zip up the duvet cover, fluff the pillow and duvet and fold the duvet and blanket back.

"There, all done."

Alec carried Magnus over to the bed and lowered him onto the fresh sheets, while Izzy went to close the bedroom window.

Then Alec pulled the blanket and duvet up to Magnus' chin and kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "Let me get you that hot water bottle I promised. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Thank you." He looked over at Izzy who'd just finished packing the used sheets into a bag. "And thank you for your help, Isabelle. Have a nice evening!"

Izzy waved at him. "Thanks! Have a nice evening yourself. I'll see you in the morning."

Magnus snuggled into the covers and watched Alec escort Izzy out of the room.

The siblings shared a quick hug before Izzy left with the bag of laundry and the sample box and Alec went to heat up some water in the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

_Day 5_

Alec woke with his nose buried in Magnus' hair and sunlight streaming through the window. He inhaled his boyfriend's unique scent and snuggled even closer to his warm body.

The night had been peaceful and their rest uninterrupted.

Magnus was breathing deeply and evenly although his skin was still hot to the touch.

Alec had one leg thrown over Magnus' and a hand on his boyfriend's chest right above his heart. He was enjoying the peace and intimacy of the morning and would have liked to stay just like this for hours.

But he was wearing nothing but shorts, and Izzy might show up any minute. Besides, he needed a trip to the bathroom.

Careful not to wake Magnus, he slowly crawled out from under the covers.

Alec grabbed track pants and a t-shirt as well as several empty sample containers – it would probably be easier for him if those were stored in the bathroom from now on – and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

*

Magnus was still fast asleep by the time Alec emerged from the bathroom again, clean-shaven and fully dressed.

Alec hesitated for a moment but then strode over to the bed and woke his boyfriend with a gentle touch to his shoulder.

When Magnus opened his eyes, it took a few seconds for his gaze to focus on Alec. "Is something wrong?" he asked sleepily, confusion evident in his voice.

Alec smiled at him lovingly. "Good morning, Magnus. Everything's fine. I just thought you might want to visit the bathroom and get some of the tests out of the way before Izzy shows up."

Magnus returned the smile. "Good morning, Alexander. That is very thoughtful of you. Thank you."

Alec kissed the tip of Magnus' nose before he pulled the covers back and picked his boyfriend up to carry him to the bathroom.

*

When Izzy arrived about an hour later, she found Magnus sitting in bed, wide awake and chatting with Alec, who was perched on the edge of the bed with a coffee cup in one hand.

"Good morning. You're up already." It sounded surprised.

Alec turned around and smiled at his sister. "Good morning, Iz. We had a quiet night. So we're not only up, we've labeled and packed a urine and a stool sample for you and done our share of the tests." He reached out for his notebook, opened it to the day's page and began to read out the results.

"Magnus' blood pressure was 93 over 52, his heart rate was 79, his blood sugar 60 mg/dL, which seems kind of low to me and his temperature 102.2 degrees."

Izzy wrote the numbers down in her own notebook before she replied. "Yes, the blood sugar is a little low again. The IV nutrition will take care of that. Everything else is okay in this situation. Switch places with me so I can draw some blood and attach the IV bag afterwards?"

Alec got up immediately to make room for his sister, who collected syringes, saline and a bag of nutrition formulation before she sat down on the mattress.

She flushed the butterfly catheter with some saline and then proceeded to draw the blood samples she needed. "So, Magnus, how do you feel today?"

Magnus thought about it for a moment. "Slightly better than yesterday, I'd say. I'm a bit stronger, my hands are no longer shaking and I only have a mild headache. Every time I try to eat or drink something, however, I'm struck with nausea, cramps, pain and diarrhea. When is that going to stop?"

Izzy shrugged apologetically. "I can't tell you that. We still don't know what causes Warlock Cold or how the symptoms progress exactly. You just have to keep trying."

"Isn't there anything you can do to help?" Alec asked from behind her. "What about the stool sample we gave you yesterday, what did you find?"

"Nothing yet." Izzy was done drawing the blood samples and attached the bag of nutrition formulation to the IV. "Science isn't magic. It needs patience. I prepared cultures, but it will take a few days for any organism contained in the sample to grow to a size where I can see and analyze it." She sighed. "You also need to be aware that I might not find anything in the first sample. Whether the disease is bacterial or something else, the organisms won't be distributed evenly throughout the stool. We may get lucky and catch them on the first try, or it might take a few samples to get results."

"No, really, don't hold back on the good news," Magnus grumbled after a moment of silence, voice laced thickly with sarcasm.

Izzy gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry. I know this sucks."

Magnus sighed. "It's not your fault. I simply hate being sick. It's an experience I could have done without."

Alec gave him a wry grin. "I sincerely doubt there's anyone who enjoys being sick. Feel free to tell me if there's anything I can do to make this easier on you." He reached out a hand and laced his fingers with Magnus'.

Magnus smiled at him. "Thank you for taking such good care of me. I couldn't make it through this without you."

Alec squeezed his hand. "You needn't worry about that, I'm not leaving."

"But I am," Izzy interrupted the moment. "I promised Clary a quick sparring session before I'm on call. The fresh sample box is outside the bedroom door, and you can text me if you need anything else. Oh, and Jace volunteered for the evening visit and asked if you want takeout again. Just text him sometime before dinner to let him know your choice."

Alec stood up and hugged his sister, then walked her to the door.

*

When he returned to the bedroom, he was hiding both hands behind his back.

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "What are _you_ up to?"

Alexander shrugged, but Magnus could see a twinkle of amusement mixed with apprehension in his eyes. "Well, the baby monitor's makeover is done and it is ready to take on its duties as proper Magnus Monitor."

He brought both hands forward and held the newly decorated units out for Magnus' inspection.

Magnus reached out and took first one and then the other, turning them over in his hands to look at Alexander's work. When he raised his eyes to his boyfriend's face again they were shiny with unshed tears. " _You_ did that? For _me_?" Disbelief, surprise and wonder were warring for dominance in his voice.

Alexander reached out with his hand and cupped Magnus' cheek.

"Of course I did it for _you_! You didn't like the plain baby monitor, so I hope the changes have your approval?"

A single tear rolled down Magnus' cheek. "Yes. _Yes!_ They're perfect. Thank you!"

Magnus let the Magnus Monitor drop to the mattress, took hold of Alexander's shirt with one hand and pulled his boyfriend forward and down so he could kiss him.

After a moment of surprise, Alexander kissed him back enthusiastically.

When they broke apart, they were both breathing hard.

"And you're very welcome," Alexander added with a grin once he had gotten his breathing back under control. "Now, do you want tea or broth for breakfast?"

"Neither?" Magnus suggested. Then he sighed. "Tea. We could try the broth tonight, but this," he gestured towards the IV bag, "is supposed to supply me with all the nutrients I need for the day. So I'll stick with just the fluids for now."

"Then tea it is. Are you in the mood for a particular flavor?"

Magnus shrugged. "The fennel tea is fine."

Alexander smiled at him.

"All right. Let me just set these up," he picked up the Magnus Monitor, "and I'll get you your tea."

Alexander set up the unit with the night light on the nightstand and took the receiver with him to the kitchen.

It didn't take long for him to return to Magnus' side with a steaming cup of fennel tea in one hand.

Magnus reached for the cup but still needed Alexander's help to safely lift it to his mouth and sip the tea. He couldn't be completely sure, but he thought that his stomach was reacting a little less violently than before. He actually managed to drain the whole cup without feeling like he'd bring everything up again. That was progress at least.

"Do you need anything else right now?"

Magnus hesitated a moment. "Could you place a bucket next to the bed? Just in case my stomach decides later on that a whole cup of tea was too much?"

Alexander looked concerned but nodded. He fetched the bucket from the second bathroom and placed it next to the bed, in easy reach for Magnus.

"Would you like me to stay and read to you? Or put on some music?"

Magnus opened his mouth, then closed it again as if he remembered something. "You haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you?"

At least Magnus was quite sure he hadn't seen his boyfriend eat or drink anything this morning.

"No, but that's fine."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, a twinkle in his eyes. "Fine? What if you grow so weak you can't carry me anymore? Then I'm stuck in bed with nobody to take care of me."

"Hey, Shadowhunter here. I can always activate a rune or two," Alexander chuckled. "Although it is nice to know how concerned you are about my well-being."

Magnus didn't look convinced. "I'm sure those runes are great in a pinch but they can't beat real food. Since I'm fine right now and the fabulous Magnus Monitor is ready and working, I see no reason why you shouldn't go to the kitchen and have a proper breakfast."

All right, so he wasn't really fine, his stomach was aching and cramping again and he was still too hot, but Alexander sitting next to him wouldn't change the symptoms.

"I promise to call for you if I need anything."

Alexander raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, you've convinced me! I'm going. I'm practically gone already."

He kissed Magnus on the nose and made his way to the kitchen, cup in one hand and receiver in the other.

*

Two cups of strong coffee and a delicious sandwich later, Alec returned to the bedroom. He had to admit that Magnus had been right: real food was a lot more satisfying than a Nourishment rune. It also was a lot healthier to keep the runes as a backup for times when Magnus needed him around the clock. They weren't out of the woods yet after all.

Magnus was clutching the covers tightly.

"Are you in pain again?" Alec inquired with concern then mentally slapped himself for asking such a stupid question. "Anything I can do to help?"

Magnus grimaced. "Take my mind off it? We could continue the novel."

"Okay. Let me just disconnect the IV bag first."

Alec did that before he retrieved the novel from the nightstand drawer. He sat down on the edge of the mattress, opened the book to the marked page and began to read out loud.

*

It took them almost three hours to finish the novel. Of course, that might have been due in part to the two urgent bathroom breaks they had to take as Magnus' digestive tract rushed the bit of tea out the other end, accompanied by cramps and pain.

Alec closed the book with an audible snap. "Now what? Do you want me to get another book?"

Magnus shook his head.

"Thank you, but I'm rather tired. If you get me a fresh hot water bottle and help me lie down I'll just take a nap."

"Hot water bottle coming right up."

*

With Magnus settled in bed with the hot water bottle on his stomach and the Magnus Monitor switched on again, Alec retreated to the living room with the receiver.

If he didn't want Jace to wipe the floor with him the next time they sparred, he needed to get in some training every day. Or at least every day Magnus' condition left him with enough free time.

So he spent the next three hours working out vigorously, ending his routine with staff practice and thorough stretching.

Since he'd worked up a sweat, Alec longed for a hot shower.

He hadn't heard a sound from Magnus during his training, so he checked in on him quickly first.

Magnus was fast asleep, curled in on himself under the covers, fingers clenched on the duvet. His forehead was creased in a frown.

Alec's fingers itched with the urge to smooth the frown lines away, but he didn't want to risk waking his boyfriend. So he just tiptoed to the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way.

He took his time in the shower, enjoying the luxury of unlimited time under the hot spray.

When Alec left the bathroom clad only in a towel, Magnus was watching him from the bed.

"I think I could get used to you walking around the apartment like that." Magnus let his gaze travel over Alec's body appreciatively.

A faint blush darkened Alec's cheeks but he turned in a full circle slowly to give his boyfriend the best view possible. "You think so? I'll take that as a compliment, but since Jace will be over later today, I will get dressed now."

"Fine. Deprive me of that nice view then."

Magnus put on a show of pouting in disappointment but couldn't hide the twinkle in his eyes.

Alec chuckled. "You can enjoy that view while I get dressed." He let the towel drop to the floor and proceeded to put on fresh clothes – slowly.

Magnus followed his every move with his eyes. "Oh I do, believe me."

Once he was fully dressed, Alec walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "How do you feel, Magnus? Do you want me to refill the hot water bottle?"

Magnus smiled at him. "That would be nice. I think my fever may have gone down a little. My throat feels kind of sore, though, and I have a headache again."

Alec reached out and laid his hand across Magnus' forehead. "I can feel no difference. We could check with the thermometer if you want?" His tone showed clearly that he didn't think Magnus _would_ want that.

Magnus shook his head. "No, it can wait until tonight."

"Do you want me to make some sage tea for you? It might soothe your throat a bit?"

Magnus hesitated before nodding. "Let's try that."

"All right."

Alec retrieved the hot water bottle from under the covers and made his way to the kitchen. He didn't like the fact that Magnus' headache had returned, or that his throat was now sore. It didn't really sound as if his boyfriend was actually getting better.

Hopefully, some sage tea would calm Magnus' throat before it could get any worse.

Magnus needed Alec's assistance again to hold the cup and drink the tea, but at least he managed to keep it all down. It seemed the nausea was really letting up.

With the hot water bottle on his stomach, Magnus curled up under the covers and declined Alec's offer of reading him another book.

Alec stayed by Magnus' side, carding his fingers through his boyfriend's hair and softly singing a lullaby.

*

Once Magnus was fast asleep, Alec switched on the Magnus Monitor and tried to catch up on the daily chores. He cleaned the cats' dishes and set out fresh food and water but didn't stay to pet the cats. Instead, he packed a bag of laundry and texted Jace about dinner.

He then proceeded to clean the bathroom and kitchen and wrote a short shopping list for Jace.

Jace walked in the door as Alec was writing down the last few items. He was carrying a duffel bag over one shoulder and a bag of takeout in the other hand.

"Hey Alec, are you ready for dinner? I brought grilled chicken salad and lasagna for both of us."

Alec got up to hug his _parabatai_. "Great. Let me just get us plates and cutlery."

Jace put the duffel bag down next to the door and set out the food on the kitchen table.

Alec meanwhile poured each of them a glass of water and put plates and cutlery on the table.

They both dug in with a healthy appetite and didn't talk for some time.

Once they'd finished the salad and moved on to the lasagna, Jace spoke up.

"How was your day? Izzy said that Magnus isn't really better yet?"

Alec swallowed a mouthful of lasagna before he replied. "Not really, no. He still has a fever. He's less nauseous, but every bit of fluid he drinks gives him painful stomach cramps and diarrhea. Now his throat is sore as well, and he has a headache again. He slept a lot today, and I really hope the rest helps him get better. Has Izzy said anything about the samples from this morning?" Alec's last sentence sounded cautiously hopeful.

"Izzy stopped me as I was about to leave because she knew you'd ask."

Well, it wouldn't have taken much to figure _that_ out.

"She said there is no growth of any kind in the old cultures yet, and she has prepared new ones today. The blood tests showed the same results as yesterday. Izzy has found an elevated count of white blood cells in the urine sample. According to her, that is a ‘nonspecific reaction of the immune system that is to be expected in this kind of situation' but doesn't help identify the source of the disease. She asked me to tell you she's sorry she has no new information."

Alec sighed dejectedly.

Jace reached across the table and squeezed his _parabatai_ 's arm. "I'm sorry. I know that isn't what you were hoping to hear. You know that Izzy is doing everything she can, right?"

Alec nodded. "I know. It's just so frustrating. All those samples and tests and IV fluids and Magnus isn't getting better and we're no closer to figuring out how to help him than we were three days ago. He's in pain and there's nothing I can do to make him better."

Jace squeezed his arm again, then gave it a slight shake until Alec looked up. "Hey, you _are_ helping him. You keep him warm and safe, make tea for him, take him to the bathroom,… Izzy told me you even let her teach you medical stuff. You are doing everything you can. Magnus will get through this. You just need to be a bit more patient."

Alec gave him an incredulous look. "Patient? How _patient_ would you be if Clary were sick?"

Jace shuddered at the mere idea. "Okay, yeah, I get it. Bad choice of words. I'm afraid that doesn't change the fact that it is going to take some more time for Magnus to fight off the Warlock Cold."

Alec sighed. "I know. And I hate it. I will see this through, though, and Magnus will beat the disease."

"Yes he will. Clary, Izzy and I will help you any way we can." Jace gestured towards the duffel bag. "That's your clean laundry by the way. I put Izzy's empty sample box and the report of today's activities at the Institute in there as well, on top of the laundry. It was all small stuff we could deal with on our own."

"Thank you. Let's swap bags. I packed one with laundry earlier. There are no new samples yet, so I'll give the box to Izzy in the morning and she doesn't need to bring a new one."

They both got up and cleared away the dishes and empty takeout containers. Then Alec handed the shopping list to Jace and showed him where he'd put the laundry bag.

"Normally I'd love for you to stay a while," he explained to his _parabatai_ with an apologetic look, "but I need to wake Magnus to check his temperature and blood sugar and give him IV fluids again."

Jace hugged him. "It's fine, Alec. Take care of Magnus and tell him I said hi."

Alec hugged his _parabatai_ back fiercely. "Thank you."

*

Alec made his way to Magnus' side by the dim glow of the Magnus Monitor's night light. He didn't want his boyfriend to wake up to a brightly lit room.

He reached out with one hand to grip Magnus' shoulder and gently shake him awake.

It took a moment for Magnus to open his eyes.

"Hey there. I'm sorry for waking you but it's time for the evening tests."

Magnus groaned and nodded. "All right, let's do this. First I need a trip to the bathroom, though."

Alec helped his boyfriend with that errand then settled him back into bed and put away the labeled stool sample.

"Temperature first, then blood sugar, IV fluids and some broth?"

Magnus shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

Once the IV was attached and Magnus had sipped some broth, Alec looked at the results he had written down with a frown. "You temperature has gone up a bit again. It's at 102.9 degrees. Your blood sugar seems to be a little low still at 69 mg/dL. I'll ask Izzy about that tomorrow, but maybe you should eat more than just a bit of broth right now." He put his notebook into the nightstand drawer.

"Do I have to?" Magnus croaked. His throat had gotten worse since the afternoon and his voice had turned hoarse.

"I won't force you, I just thought it might help with the low blood sugar."

"I'll try some food in the morning, okay?"

Alec nodded. "Do you want me to read to you until the fluid's in?"

Magnus shook his head. "I'd rather you put on some music and come cuddle me instead."

"Then I'll do just that."


	9. Chapter 9

_Day 6_

Alec woke to the sound of coughing. He opened his eyes and stared into darkness. This was the third time Magnus had woken him this night so far.

The other two times they had had to dash to the bathroom so Magnus' body could expel the broth with painful cramps. They had taken a sample the second time since they hadn't been sure there'd be anything left for one in the morning.

Alec groped for his phone to check the time. Only half past two in the morning. No wonder he felt like he hadn't slept at all. They'd crawled back into bed less than an hour ago.

The coughing next to him grew more frantic.

Alec swung his legs out of bed and switched on the bedside lamp.

Magnus was lying on his side, facing away from Alec, his whole body shaking from the force of the coughs.

Alec immediately rushed to the other side of the bed and helped his boyfriend sit up.

"Here, that should make it easier." He used one hand to gently rub Magnus' back as his boyfriend kept coughing.

By the time Magnus' breathing had normalized again, he was soaked in sweat.

Alec stroked his face. "Would you like me to get you a cup of tea to soothe your throat?"

Magnus opened his mouth to reply, grimaced and just nodded.

Alec made sure that the covers reached up to Magnus' chin and were tucked in all around him before he went to prepare some sage tea.

*

Magnus needed Alec's help to lift the cup and hold it steady, but he sipped the liquid gratefully.

When the tea was gone, Alec put the empty cup on the nightstand and looked at Magnus with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Magnus tried to speak but only managed an inarticulate sound. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Headache. Throat and chest hurt. Nose feels stuffed." His voice was hoarse and croaky. "Stomach still hurts."

"That doesn't sound good. Let me refill that hot water bottle for you. I'll also bring you a scarf so you can keep your neck warm. Did I forget anything?"

Magnus shook his head.

"Then I'll be right back."

*

Alec had hoped that keeping Magnus warm would buy both of them a few more hours of sleep, but the moment his boyfriend's head hit the pillow, he started coughing again.

Magnus tried to ride out the coughing fit and get some sleep but that didn't work out very well: The coughing just got worse and worse until the whole bed was shaking. Soon after, Magnus was hanging over the edge of the bed and retching into the bucket.

Between vomiting and coughing, he had trouble breathing. It felt like he was suffocating while at the same time his head was exploding and his chest bursting open. He didn't even notice Alec's hand rubbing the back of his neck.

By the time Magnus managed to breathe in sufficient amounts of air again, tears were streaming down his face.

Alec wiped them away with gentle fingers. "I take it the tea and warmth didn't help?"

Magnus shook his head then nodded then shrugged. "Did help. Lying down didn't." Magnus coughed again briefly.

"Do you think you can sleep in a sitting position?"

Magnus shrugged.

"Then I guess we should try that."

Alec arranged several pillows against the headboard and helped Magnus lean back into them. Then he tucked the covers around his boyfriend. "How's that?"

"Better. For now."

"Good. Then let's try to sleep."

Alec crawled into bed again, switched off the lights and snuggled into the covers, hoping to get some sleep now.

In vain. While Magnus wasn't coughing continuously anymore, he also didn't manage to go as much as five minutes without coughing.

So whenever Alec was slowly drifting off, approaching the realm of dreams, a hacking cough from next to him dragged him back.

By morning, he had lost count of the times he'd refilled the hot water bottle, brought Magnus fresh tea and helped him to the bathroom. They hadn't caught a wink of sleep in between.

Magnus was soaked in sweat, his wet hair plastered to his scalp. Shivers were running through his body, and the muscles in his chest and belly were complaining loudly about the unusual workout the coughing fits were giving them. His nose felt stuffed, forcing him to breathe through his mouth and making him cough even more. Meanwhile, his head felt like it might explode any second.

Around 7.30 am, Alec finally gave up on getting any sleep and got up. He stretched his back, then walked around the bed to Magnus' side.

"Good morning." At Magnus' doubtful look, he amended. "All right, it's not a good morning. It _is_ time to start the day, though. Tests first. Do you need help taking off your pajama top?"

Magnus nodded.

*

When Izzy arrived shortly before 9 am, Alec had already changed the sheets and Magnus was back in bed, dressed in fresh pajamas. The hot spruce-scented bath had calmed his cough somewhat temporarily, but by now it was back in full force.

Izzy knocked on the bedroom door and entered the room at Alec's invitation. "Good morning, both of y—" She stopped short as she saw Magnus, sweaty and shivering. "Oh my, that doesn't look like you're feeling better, Magnus. What happened?"

Magnus shrugged, then coughed. "Good morning Isabelle," he croaked, followed by another cough.

Alec moved closer. "He just started coughing in the middle of the night. It's even worse if he lies down. All the coughing made him throw up. Tea helps him for a moment but gives him diarrhea. I don't know what else I can do to help him." He rubbed a hand through his hair and yawned. "I'm sorry, Iz. We didn't get much sleep last night." Alec grabbed his stele and activated his Caffeine rune. "That's better. Now, the stool and urine samples are in the box. Any results yet from the earlier samples?"

Izzy shook her head. "No, there's still no growth of any kind. I'm sorry. Did you do the morning tests yet?"

"Yes we did." Alec opened his notebook to the correct page so he'd get the numbers right. "Magnus' blood pressure was 91 over 50, his heart rate was 75, his blood sugar 63 mg/dL and his temperature 101.3 degrees. I'm kind of worried his blood sugar is still too low. It was 69 last night." Alec waited for his sister to copy the data into her own notebook before he continued. "What are we going to do about that cough? Should we call Catarina?"

"Let me examine Magnus first," Izzy tried to calm her brother. "Yes, his blood sugar is still too low. What and how much did Magnus eat yesterday?"

"Nothing." Alec fidgeted under his sister's gaze. "Just tea and broth already gave him diarrhea, and he was in so much pain from the stomach cramps," he defended his decision not to coax Magnus into eating some solid food.

"I understand that you don't want to cause him pain, but Magnus really should eat something solid twice a day. It doesn't have to be much, a single saltine or a spoonful of plain rice is enough. I'm also going to show you how to add an amp of glucose to the evening IV bag. If Magnus' blood sugar is under 70 again in the evening, you can bring it up with the glucose."

Alec listened carefully to Izzy's instructions and asked questions until he was sure he could add the glucose without help.

Izzy then proceeded to draw the required blood samples from Magnus' IV. She labeled them carefully and put them into the sample box. When she returned to the bedside, she asked Magnus to take off his pajama top. "Since you are coughing so much, I would like to listen to your chest and examine your neck and throat."

While Alec helped Magnus strip to his waist, Izzy collected her stethoscope and a small flashlight from the bags of medical supplies. She turned back to Magnus. "Open your mouth wide, please. I need to take a look at the back of your throat."

Magnus complied, and Izzy shone the flashlight into his mouth. The sight of her patient's bright red, raw-looking throat made her wince. She didn't want to imagine how much the inflamed tissue had to hurt. "All right, you can close your mouth again, Magnus." Izzy dictated her findings to her brother and switched off the flashlight. "Next, I'm going to examine your neck, Magnus. My hands may feel a little cold to you." Izzy put both hands on Magnus' neck to gently feel for the lymph nodes. She interrupted her examination for a moment as Magnus coughed again.

"There's been no change. Your lymph nodes are still swollen. That is not unusual with an infection. Now I will listen to your lungs, first through your chest and then through your back. I need you to take deep breaths during the examination."

Magnus nodded to show he understood.

The deep breaths caused Magnus to cough even more, but with a bit of patience Izzy managed to finish the examination. "It sounds like there's fluid in your lungs. I will talk to Catarina later – I don't want to wake her after her night shift – and get her opinion on this, but we need to help your body cough up that fluid. You can boil water, add chamomile, thyme, eucalyptus or mountain pine and inhale the steam twice a day. You might also want to take a nice hot bath with thyme or mountain pine. The rest of the time you need to stay warm and drink tea."

"Sounds like so much fun," Magnus croaked, clearly not happy with those suggestions – or at least some of them.

Izzy gave him an understanding look. "I will text you if Catarina has any other ideas on how to help you. If I find anything else in the samples, you'll be the first to know. Maybe the second, since I might tell Catarina before you."

"Thank you, Iz. Will you let whoever gets to make the evening visit know to bring some mountain pine needles and eucalyptus as well as more thyme and chamomile? Oh, and sage leaves. We're running low on those as well."

Izzy nodded. "No problem. Do you have anything for me to take back with me besides the sample box?"

Alec picked up a bag from the floor. "Yeah, laundry. Thank you – and Jace and Clary – for taking care of that for me."

"No problem, big brother. Take good care of Magnus and text me if you need anything."

*

When Izzy was gone again, Alec attached a bag of IV nutrition to Magnus' hand. "I'll refill that hot water bottle now. Do you want a cup of tea and a saltine as well?"

Magnus grimaced. "Want? No. However, I _did_ hear what Isabelle said. So I guess you'd better bring me that saltine and tea."

"All right. Be right back."

Alec returned a short while later and placed the refilled hot water bottle on Magnus' stomach under the covers. Then he handed his boyfriend a saltine. "Eat slowly and just signal whenever you want a sip of tea."

Magnus nodded and started to nibble. He chewed thoroughly until the bit of saltine mixed with his saliva had a mushy consistency, but swallowing still hurt. He gestured for Alec to lift the cup and took a sip. Every swallow made him wince, the tea only soothing his throat for a moment or two, but he managed to finish the saltine eventually.

Alec then helped him drink the rest of the tea before he put the cup away. "We should wrap the scarf back around your neck to keep you warm."

Magnus nodded. "That would be nice."

Alec picked up the scarf and carefully draped it around Magnus' neck. "There. Can I get you anything else?"

Magnus coughed, then shook his head. The things he wanted right now – sleep, no pain, health – weren't in Alec's power to grant. His boyfriend was already doing everything he could to make this more bearable. If at least the cough were to go away!

Alec reached out with one hand to lace his fingers with Magnus' and started humming a lullaby.

Magnus closed his eyes and tried to relax. The urge to cough stubbornly remained, and soon the stomach pain and cramps were back. He groaned, then coughed, then hunched forward a bit, curling around the hot water bottle. It wasn't really comfortable, but neither was leaning back into the pillow. He wanted to curl up on his side but that would make the cough worse. He _hated_ Warlock Cold!

Alec felt helpless watching his boyfriend suffer, but then he had an idea. He got a few more blankets from the closet and returned to the bed, where he folded back the covers.

Magnus looked up at him in surprise and confusion. "What—?"

"Let me try something, okay?"

The confusion was still there, but Magnus nodded.

Alec climbed into bed and urged Magnus to draw his knees halfway to his chest and part his legs. Then he sat down in front of his boyfriend face-to-face, drew Magnus' legs around his body and crossed his own ankles behind Magnus' back. Next he began to wrap the two of them in a cocoon of blankets. "There. Now you can lean into me and, hopefully, stay warm and comfortable."

Magnus gratefully rested his head against Alec's shoulder and scooted close enough that the hot water bottle was caught immobile between their bodies.

Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus and gently rubbed his back. He leaned forward until he could lay his head against Magnus' shoulder and resumed humming the lullaby.

This position was easier on Magnus' back and neck but didn't stop the coughing. Still, the physical contact felt nice and safe and comforting. It was warm inside the cocoon of blankets, which eased the cramps a bit.

Alec felt some of the tension melt out of Magnus' body. His boyfriend was still coughing every few minutes but he wasn't trying to pull away, so Alec continued to rub his back. Soon, Alec ran out of lullabies to hum and switched to his favorite songs.

That earned him a chuckle from Magnus that ended in another cough. "Do you take requests?"

Alec felt Magnus' lips move against his shoulder. "I'm neither an entertainer nor a jukebox." The Shadowhunter's grin was evident in his voice. "But I might include some of the songs you like."

Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec's waist and snuggled closer. "Thank you. Feels nice." He closed his eyes but was prevented from drifting off by more coughing.

They spent about an hour wrapped around each other like that before Magnus tried to scoot back and announced his need for a trip to the bathroom.

Alec disconnected the empty IV bag from Magnus' hand and assisted his boyfriend with his errand of nature. Once Magnus was settled back against the pillow again, Alec tucked the covers around him. "I'm going to the kitchen to prepare your first inhalation treatment, and I will come and get you when everything is ready, okay?"

Magnus nodded, and Alec switched the Magnus Monitor on and took the receiver and several towels with him to the kitchen.

Alec returned a little while later and helped Magnus get out of bed. He wrapped his boyfriend in a warm blanket, picked him up and carried him into the kitchen.

Alec had already placed a bowl on the kitchen table and now put Magnus down on a chair in front of it. Then he pushed the chair closer to the table and took off Magnus' scarf. "Now, I already boiled some chamomile in water. I'll pour the water into the bowl in a moment, and then you need to lean your head over the bowl and inhale the steam. I will place a towel over your head to keep the steam around your face. The treatment should be done for at least 10 to 15 minutes or until the fluid cools so much you don't get enough steam to inhale. Oh, and it would be best if you kept your eyes closed during the treatment or the steam might irritate them."

Magnus nodded to show he understood the instructions.

When the steam hit his face, Magnus flinched a little. That was an odd feeling even though the scent of chamomile was pleasant. He'd inhaled steam before, of course. It just couldn't be avoided sometimes when he brewed a potion. This felt different, though. The next moment something soft and light touched the back of his head as Alec draped a large towel over him, shutting out most of the daylight and increasing the heat around Magnus' face.

He tried to take deep breaths but ended up coughing more often than not. Still, Isabelle had said that this would help him get better, so he would go through with it. Bit by bit, breath by breath, Magnus got used to the feeling of breathing in chamomile-scented steam. His face felt hot – probably not unusual when holding one's head over a bowl of steaming liquid – and he was pretty sure that by now a fair amount of sweat was mixed in with the condensation water on his face.

For the first few minutes, Alec stayed on high alert, ready to jump into action in case Magnus had any trouble with the treatment or were in danger of sliding off the chair. He heard Magnus cough, but his boyfriend seemed to be fine otherwise. So Alec pulled a chair over and sat down as well.

*

The steam had cooled noticeably by the time Magnus felt the gentle touch of a hand on his knee.

"15 minutes are over, Magnus." Alec's voice sounded a bit muffled through the towel. "I think that's enough for the first time."

"Okay."

Alec could barely make out the mumbled word but took it as his cue to lift the damp towel. He used another towel to dry Magnus' face, neck and hair, then wrapped the scarf around Magnus' neck again. "How do you feel now?"

Magnus shrugged. He didn't really feel all that different. Maybe he was even more tired than before.

"Are you ready to move back to the bed?"

At Magnus' nod, Alec carefully picked him up and carried him to the bedroom. He settled Magnus against a pillow and pulled the covers up to his chin. "I'll be right back with a hot water bottle and a cup of tea for you. Do you want me to put some music on?"

Magnus nodded, then watched Alec search the heap of blankets on the other side of the bed for the discarded hot water bottle.

When Alec finally found the item he retreated to the kitchen.

Magnus closed his eyes, listened to the music and tried to relax. The pain in his throat had gotten worse since morning, and by now even swallowing saliva felt as if someone was stabbing his throat. His headache spiked every time he coughed, and his stomach was still cramping. All in all, he felt absolutely miserable.

Alec returned a short while later and helped Magnus place the hot water bottle on his aching stomach before he raised the cup of sage tea to his boyfriend's lips.

Magnus took small, careful sips of the hot liquid. It hurt to swallow the tea and he winced every time but he drained the cup eventually. The sage tea was supposed to soothe his throat after all, so maybe it just took a while for it to work. At least drinking the tea was marginally less painful than eating the saltine had been.

"Are you comfortable leaning against the pillow or would you prefer I climb back into bed and hold you?" Alec asked once the cup was empty.

Magnus gave him a hopeful look. "If you don't mind?"

"I wouldn't have offered otherwise." Remembering how warm it had been inside the cocoon of blankets, Alec stripped down to his shorts before he got back into bed. He helped Magnus lean against him the same way as before and made sure to wrap all the available blankets around them both until they were covered up to their ears. With his lips against Magnus' shoulder over the pajama top, Alec hummed along to the music.


	10. Chapter 10

They managed to sit like that for about an hour, unable to sleep due to Magnus' frequent coughing but at least resting their eyes, bodies and minds a bit.

Then Magnus needed another trip to the bathroom, his body obviously still not happy about him drinking tea.

"Would you like to take a bath? You're already up, and we have enough thyme left," Alec suggested as he helped Magnus wash his hands.

Magnus considered the offer for a moment before he nodded.

"Then sit tight while I prepare everything." Alec pressed a kiss to the top of Magnus' head and left his boyfriend on the stool in front of the sink as he made his way to the kitchen to boil some water.

It didn't take long for Alec to return with several towels which he draped over the towel heater. "The thyme needs about ten more minutes to be ready. We could wash your hair while we wait."

Magnus nodded again, his sore throat causing him to avoid talking unless absolutely necessary, and let Alec undress him. He himself was still too weak to help much with that.

Alec picked Magnus up and gently lowered him into the tub. Then he turned on the water and made sure it was nice and hot before he let it touch his boyfriend's skin.

Magnus enjoyed having his hair washed by Alec – especially the thorough head massage he received in the process – and resolved to ask his boyfriend to do that again when he was healthy and able to reciprocate.

Once the last bit of shampoo had been washed away, Alec plugged the drain and let the tub fill with water. He collected the pot from the kitchen and emptied it through a sieve into the tub. In seconds, the bathroom was filled with the scent of thyme.

"Do you want me to get in there with you?" he asked Magnus once the tub was filled and he had turned off the water.

Magnus shook his head. He still wasn't entirely sure he wasn't going to have an accident since his stomach was still cramping painfully and he didn't want to risk having his boyfriend in the water with him if that happened. "But you could massage my neck," he suggested hopefully.

Alec immediately knelt on the bathmat and slid both his hands under Magnus' neck. He started to gently rub the skin there and worked his way up to a full-blown massage, moving up the neck and to the head after a while.

Magnus felt his muscles gradually relax in the hot water and enjoyed Alec's skilled fingers kneading the tension from his neck muscles. The warm, humid air was easier to breathe than the air in the bedroom had been and didn't make him cough as often.

Alec noticed that and added more hot water to the tub as soon as he felt the temperature threaten to drop below what would be comfortable to Magnus. Then Alec resumed massaging his boyfriend's head and even rubbed some of the tension out of his facial muscles.

Magnus would have purred from the pleasure it had he not been absolutely sure that would result in a coughing fit. By the time Alec unplugged the drain, he felt practically melted.

Alec lifted Magnus from the tub, gently patted him dry and massaged lotion into his skin. Then he helped his boyfriend dress in fresh pajamas and wrapped the scarf around his neck again. Alec carried Magnus back to the bed and carefully set him down on the mattress, but when he attempted to climb into bed with him, Magnus stopped him.

"You haven't eaten today."

Alec shrugged. "That's fine. I'll just activate my Nourishment rune."

But Magnus shook his head. "Go eat."

Sensing that his boyfriend wouldn't relent, Alec helped Magnus scoot back a bit until he could lean against the pillow and then tucked him in. As he was about to turn away, he felt Magnus weakly grab his hand.

"The cats-" Magnus' hoarse voice was cut off by a violent cough.

Alec squeezed his hand. "I haven't forgotten about the cats. They've been given food and water every day, and I will feed them again as soon as I have eaten, all right?"

Magnus nodded, sagging a bit in relief.

Alec switched on the Magnus Monitor and took the receiver with him to the kitchen.

*

When Alec opened the bedroom door again after having eaten a sandwich and fed the cats, Magnus was sneezing. He'd heard his boyfriend sneeze once or twice over the Magnus Monitor, but this time there were at least five sneezes in a row.

Alec grabbed the box of tissues from Magnus' dressing table and held it out to his boyfriend. "Here."

Magnus grabbed a tissue and blew his nose. "Thank you." His voice sounded even worse than before. Then he started sneezing again. Sneezing turned into coughing before he was done and could breathe again.

Alec set the box of tissues down on the nightstand. "I guess I'd better leave this here."

Magnus nodded, his nose already buried in the tissue again.

It soon became clear that one box wasn't going to be enough, and since Magnus usually just magicked things over when he needed them, he didn't store supplies in his apartment.

So Alec placed a paper basket next to the bed for the used tissues and sent an urgent text message to his sister, explaining the recent development and asking that whoever did the evening visit bring several more boxes of tissues.

Izzy sent a quick confirmation and well-wishes for Magnus a short while later.

For the next few hours, Alec supplied Magnus with refills of the hot water bottle, cups of tea and gentle backrubs whenever another coughing fit hit. His boyfriend looked absolutely miserable.

Sometime during the afternoon, another text message from Izzy arrived. _Spoke to C. Recommends lozenges, additional zinc as pills or lozenges, and gargling with salt water. 1 tsp. of salt, 9 oz. of water. Gargle, spit out, repeat until glass is empty. Additional supplies arrive tonight._

Alec showed the message to Magnus who read it with a frown. "Gargle? Not sure I like the idea." He had lost even more of his voice during the afternoon and it was barely above a whisper now. Speaking also made Magnus wince in pain.

"If it helps your throat it'll be worth it," Alec reminded him. "Do you want me to prepare some salt water right away?"

Magnus nodded but didn't look the least bit happy with the idea.

Alec made sure that Magnus was tucked in before he went to the kitchen to prepare a glass of lukewarm salt water. He carried it into the bathroom and set it down next to the sink. Then he returned to Magnus' side.

"Ready?"

Magnus nodded and let Alec peel back the covers and pick him up. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck and rested his head on his shoulder.

Alec helped Magnus sit down on the stool in front of the sink and lifted the glass to his boyfriend's lips.

"All right, here we go. Sip, gargle and spit out."

Magnus obediently took a sip of salt water and grimaced. _That_ was _not_ a pleasant taste. He leaned his head back and started to gargle, but the taste of the salt water at the back of his throat made him cough, spraying the mouthful of water all over the sink and the mirror. The cough got worse and the next moment Magnus threw up the meager contents of his stomach into the sink.

Alec felt helpless and useless at the same time as he rubbed his boyfriend's back and made shushing noises. Once the heaving had stopped and Magnus was drawing ragged breaths, still bent over the sink, Alec poured a glass of clear water and held it to his boyfriend's lips. "Here, rinse your mouth, get rid of the taste."

Magnus obeyed and spit the water into the sink. "Don't like the salt water," he croaked. Maybe in theory salt water was good for a sore throat but _his_ throat sure as hell hadn't read the memo!

Alec, who was still gently rubbing Magnus' back, chuckled. "Yes, I kind of gathered that from your reaction. I'm sorry, Magnus. Do you want to try again? Maybe with a smaller amount of water? Catarina wouldn't recommend the treatment if she weren't convinced it'd be good for you."

Magnus gave him a skeptical look.

"Just one more try?"

After a moment of hesitation, Magnus nodded. He took a very small sip from the offered glass and very slowly leaned his head back. The moment the salt water reached the back of his throat, he started coughing again. It took him even longer this time to stop, but at least he didn't vomit. "No more," he panted as soon as he found enough air to do so.

Alec put the glass of salt water away and helped Magnus rinse his mouth with clear water. "Do you want me to carry you back to bed or…" he trailed off, glancing at the toilet.

Magnus didn't even hesitate. "Toilet," he croaked. It wasn't urgent yet but he didn't want to have to ask Alec to carry him back here in an hour or less.

Alec helped his boyfriend take care of business and tucked him back into bed with a fresh hot water bottle. He hated to see Magnus so weak and in so much pain and wished he could do more than hold his hand and rub his back and supply him with tissues, tea and hot water bottles.

Magnus just wanted the pain to end. His head throbbed, his stomach was cramping, his muscles, especially in his torso, ached fiercely, his throat burned even if he just breathed and now the tip and sides of his nose felt sore and his lips were dry, chapped and hurting. Alec's hand rubbing his back felt nice but didn't take the pain away. It also didn't stop the coughing fits. After a particularly bad one, Magnus could feel hot tears spilling from his eyes and running down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away, stop them, because he didn't want to worry Alec. Crying wouldn't solve anything! But the tears just kept coming and he started sobbing.

Alec saw the tears and climbed into bed, kneeling next to Magnus, and cupped his boyfriend's face. "Hey, hey, what's wrong, Magnus?"

Magnus shook his head, sobbing turning into coughing and back. Crying just made everything hurt even worse, but the tears kept coming. "Make it stop," he half-sobbed, half-croaked and meant the pain, the crying, the disease…

Alec wiped the tears away with a tissue and stroked his thumb over Magnus' cheek. "I can't, Magnus. I'm sorry."

Magnus knew that, of course. He really didn't want to worry Alec who was already doing so much for him but he just couldn't get the crying under control. The sobs shaking his body were so painful they brought even more tears to his eyes.

Alec gave up on trying to dry Magnus' tears. He reached out to draw the covers back. "Come here, love." It took some maneuvering, but then he sat with his back against the headboard, Magnus cradled in his lap with his head on Alec's shoulder, both of them wrapped in the covers together. Alec held Magnus tight, rubbing circles on his back and murmuring reassurances into his hair.

By the time the tears stopped, Magnus was absolutely exhausted. He was shivering and his eyes were closed but he wasn't resting. The pain and the coughing made sure of that. Now that the tears had dried, Magnus' cheeks felt raw and tight.

Alec just kept up the gentle caresses and soothing words. His shirt was soaked through where Magnus' face rested on it, but he didn't really care. He just wished he could take his boyfriend's pain away, or at least ease it somewhat. Instead, all he could do was hold Magnus tight, keep him warm and hand him fresh tissues.

They stayed curled up together under the covers until they heard the apartment door open and someone walking in. Alec gently nudged Magnus. "I should probably get up and greet them."

But Magnus weakly shook his head. "Stay. Let 'em knock."

Alec could barely make out the whispered words. The crying seemed to have taken its toll on Magnus' voice. Alec tightened his hold on his boyfriend for a moment. "All right. I'm not going anywhere." He pressed his lips to Magnus' hair in a brief kiss.

A few moments later, someone knocked softly on the bedroom door. "Alec? It's Clary." The words were spoken quietly, aimed to announce a presence but not wake a sleeper.

"Come in," Alec called out.

It took a moment before the door opened slowly and Clary poked her head in. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry, I-" she caught sight of them and didn't finish the sentence. "Magnus, you look _awful_! I'm sorry, I mean you…  that is… how bad is it?"

Alec gave her a look that spoke volumes while Magnus just groaned and buried his head against his boyfriend's shoulder.

"It's bad," Alec finally said. "The descriptions in that book Jace read really don't convey _how_ bad it is. Izzy wrote you'd bring supplies?"

Clary blinked as if she'd forgotten about the three large bags she carried – one over each shoulder and one in her left hand. "What? Oh, yes. Actually, both Izzy and Catarina gave me stuff to bring you." And she put the bags down and started to show the contents to Alec.

Magnus lifted his head slightly and watched as well.

"First off, several boxes of tissues," Clary began. "I also added a few additional boxes of tissues with a soothing balm. Simon always used those when he had a cold because they don't draw as much moisture from his skin. He claimed without the tissues the skin on his nose would have cracked and bled with every cold."

Magnus actually reached out a trembling hand at that description.

Alec took the box from Clary's hands and gave his boyfriend a tissue that Magnus immediately put to use.

"Better than with the others?" Alec asked afterwards.

Magnus nodded and aimed a grateful look at Clary.

Clary smiled at Magnus and produced the next item from the bags. "I added several tubes of these."

Alec took the package that said ‘Bepanthen Eye and Nose Ointment'. That sounded like it would come in handy in their current situation.

"That's what I use when I have a cold and my nose and lips go all chapped and dry. Just apply it generously to the dry skin."

Magnus looked like he just barely managed to restrain himself from demanding Alec put some of the ointment on him _right this moment_.

Alec took one look at his boyfriend's face, pulled one tube out of the box and applied a thin layer to Magnus' nose and lips.

Magnus sighed in relief.

Clary took out two more boxes. "Now, these are zinc pills and those are ibuprofen pills. Catarina wrote you a note on when and how to take them." She handed both boxes over to Alec and fished a crumpled note out of her jeans pocket, holding it out to Alec as well.

Alec put the boxes down on the bed for now and carefully smoothed out the note so he could actually read the text out loud for his boyfriend's benefit: _Zinc: one pill twice a day with some fluid. Ibuprofen: one pill three times a day with a glass of water. Preferably after meal. Can irritate stomach._

Alec looked at Magnus, who didn't look thrilled _at all_ , and back at Clary. " _That_ might be a problem. Aren't there painkillers that don't hurt the stomach?"

Clary shrugged. "How would I know? I'm not a doctor. Most medicines have side effects. Catarina said you should try the pills and find out whether Magnus is better off with or without them."

Neither Alec nor Magnus were happy with that answer, but Alec motioned for Clary to go on.

She picked up another box. "These are sage lozenges. They numb the throat slightly for a short period of time, but you should keep to the dosage recommended on the box because too many of those lozenges can cause diarrhea."

Magnus grimaced. He already _had_ diarrhea, he didn't need _more_ of it. Numbing his throat, even temporarily, sounded divine, though.

Alec took this box as well and read the label. Antiseptic he did understand, but… "Analgesic?" he asked no one in particular.

"That means pain-relieving," Magnus threw in. "It's probably why they numb the throat."

"I also included several bags of cough drops in different flavors," Clary continued, more or less ignoring their discussion of the lozenges, "because I wasn't sure which you'd prefer. Sucking on them will get your saliva flowing so your throat won't get too dry."

"Any side effects we should know about?" Alec asked, only half in jest.

Clary looked uncomfortable. "Well, some people get diarrhea if they eat too many cough drops…"

"Great," Alec groaned, voice thick with sarcasm. "Do you have anything in those bags that _doesn't_ potentially cause diarrhea? Besides the tissues, I mean."

"The zinc pills," Clary replied dryly. "Several bags with mountain pine needles, eucalyptus, thyme, chamomile and sage. The fresh sample box. Do you want me to help you put all this away?"

"No, it's all right, I'll do it later. Thank you for bringing the supplies over."

"You're welcome. You know, I don't understand why they'd call this disease 'Warlock _Cold_ '. With symptoms this severe it should surely at least be called 'Warlock _Flu_ '."

Alec and Magnus looked at her quizzically. What difference did the _name_ of the disease make?

"Anyway, is there anything else I can do to help?"

"Is everything all right at the Institute? Anything I need to sign or do?"

Clary shook her head. "Yes, everything's fine. We've potentially located a small nest of demons but we need more information before we can plan a mission. Jace sent out a patrol to investigate, Luke has given me everything the pack knows about it and Izzy has talked to Catarina who didn't know more than us. All the information we have so far is in a file in one of the bags. Hopefully, we'll have a mission plan for you to sign by morning."

Alec gave her an incredulous look. "There's a nest of demons in New York and you weren't even going to tell me?"

Clary seemed confused by his reaction. "You're busy here. Magnus needs you. We don't even have all the information yet. Everything we _do_ know is right there in that bag, so I figured you'd read it sometime tonight. Jace will plan the mission tonight or tomorrow and discuss it with you."

"But you would have left here without telling me that today there actually _is_ something in the file that I as Head of Institute should read right away because I might need to make a decision in the morning based on that information. What if I'd been so tired tonight that I decided to read the file tomorrow during breakfast?"

"Then you would have read it tomorrow." Clary quite obviously didn't understand what Alec's problem was.

Alec sighed in exasperation. "What if the Clave had called me to ask about my plans concerning that nest of demons? I'm sure they'd have been _really_ impressed by my work as Head of Institute if I'd had to tell them I had no idea what they were talking about."

"They would call the Institute and Jace or Izzy would tell them that you weren't there right now but would call them back. You'd have plenty of time to read up on the situation."

Alec decided that this discussion wasn't going anywhere. Clary and he apparently had very different opinions on the duties of a Head of Institute. He would read the file tonight and look at the mission plan tomorrow. Then he'd just make sure he'd ask about the state of affairs at the Institute every day instead of relying on them – or probably just Clary – telling him everything.

"I'll read the file. Please tell Jace to text or call me if he finishes the mission plan long before Izzy's morning visit or in the middle of the day. Cleaning out a nest of demons shouldn't be postponed for hours once all the information is in and the mission is planned."

Clary nodded. "I will. Do you have anything for me to take back?"

"Just the sample box. It's in the hallway, next to the bedroom door."

"Okay, I'll pick it up on my way out. Have a good night. Get better soon, Magnus!"

Magnus had listened to their conversation in silence. Now he smiled at Clary and waved.

She waved back and left.

Alec turned to Magnus and kissed his hair. "I suggest we get the evening examinations and IV done, give you another inhalation treatment and a bath and try to get some sleep. What do you think?"

Magnus shrugged. "Sounds fine," he said.

At least Alec thought that that was what Magnus said. The words had been inaudible, his boyfriend's voice gone completely now.

*

Once Magnus was bent over a bowl of steaming water with eucalyptus, a towel covering his head and the bowl, Alec took the file from the bag and started reading.

It seemed Clary at least hadn't left anything out – that was, after he'd asked. The available information strongly indicated the presence of a small nest of demons in downtown New York. With the additional information from the patrol, Jace should be able to write up a sensible mission plan for him to sign. It didn't look like a big enough problem to actually require his presence at the Institute.

Alec went over the information once again, taking notes and marking parts. Then he texted Jace a few ideas for the mission and put the documents in the folder where he kept everything Institute-related.

*

By then, Magnus was done with his inhalation treatment. He couldn't decide whether he liked eucalyptus or chamomile less. They were both fine as far as scents went – not that he could smell much right now – but inhaling steam still felt strange and so far didn't help with his cough or his stuffed nose. Instead, it made his face sweat and got his hair wet.

Alexander used a dry towel to wipe water and sweat off Magnus' face and pat his hair dry. Then he handed his boyfriend a tissue so he could try to clear his nose.

"I think we should go to the bathroom next so you can have a bath and we can both get ready for bed. Is that alright?"

Magnus nodded, grateful that Alexander had phrased the question so he didn't need to talk.

*

They had both brushed their teeth, then Magnus had relaxed in a hot, mountain pine-scented bath and Alec had used soap and a washcloth on himself before he'd gone and aired the bedroom and changed the sheets.

Now they were both in bed, Magnus sitting with his back supported by a pillow and Alec curled up under the covers next to him. The Magnus Monitor's night light was the only source of light in the otherwise dark room.

As tired as he was, Alec couldn't sleep. If Magnus wasn't squirming, trying to get more comfortable, he was coughing, or sneezing, or blowing his nose.

Alec sighed and turned onto his other side. This was going to be a _long_ night.


	11. Chapter 11

__

_Day 7_

As the night had worn on, Magnus had needed several trips to the bathroom. The combination of ibuprofen, lozenges and cough drops he had used to try and get _some_ sleep – with no success – had apparently made his diarrhea worse.

By the time the first rays of sunshine hit the bed, Magnus was also shivering and complaining – voicelessly but vehemently – about being cold.

Alec refilled the hot water bottle and added his own blanket to the covers arranged on top of and around his boyfriend. He hadn't gotten a single minute of sleep that night and decided he might as well get up. He dressed, prepared a cup of sage tea for Magnus and a cup of coffee for himself and sat down on the edge of the bed to help his boyfriend lift the cup.

When Izzy showed up around 9 a. m., they were already done with their part of the morning examinations and sample-taking, and Magnus had – reluctantly and accompanied by a lot of pain – eaten a saltine with his ibuprofen pill.

Alec greeted his sister with a hug and let her copy the examination results of last night and this morning – the glucose was still somewhat low, the blood pressure and heart rate remained okay given the situation and Magnus had been fever-free this morning – into her notebook. Then he brought her up to speed on Magnus' symptoms.

Izzy gave Magnus a compassionate look. "I'm sorry. That sounds awful! Maybe I can cheer you up a bit."

Magnus looked back at her, doubt shining in his eyes.

"An organism grew in the second stool sample. I saw it this morning. I haven't had time for any in-depth analysis yet but it looks fungal under the microscope. As soon as I get back to the Institute I will check our database to see if we know the fungus. Since I didn't recognize it, it would have to be one of the more obscure ones. Or maybe we don't know it yet."

"Isn't there anything you can give Magnus right now against this… this... fungus?" Alec asked desperately.

Magnus gave Izzy a hopeful look.

Izzy shook her head. "I'm no doctor. I don't know what to give Magnus. I will, however, send everything I find to Catarina, and I really hope she can get us something that's effective against most fungal infections."

Alec ran a hand over his face. "And how long will that take? Magnus can't sleep, he's in pain and he can barely keep anything down. How long is he supposed to go on like this?"

"A little while longer, I'm afraid." Izzy put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Look, Alec, I know it sucks. I will get back to working on those samples the moment I return to the Institute."

Alec grabbed her hand with one of his and squeezed. "I know, Iz. I truly am grateful. I just wish-" He sighed.

Izzy returned the gesture and then let go. She took a folder from her bag and handed it to her brother. "The new information the patrol brought back, and the mission plan. Why don't you sit down and read while I examine Magnus and draw fresh blood? Jace is standing by at the Institute in case you have any questions."

Alec took the folder with a nod and looked at Magnus. "If you don't mind?"

Magnus smiled and made a shooing gesture.

Alec smiled back. "Your wish is my command."

He went to the living room and settled down in an armchair to read. The patrol had done a thorough job, confirming the existence of a demon nest and describing the layout, access points, possible traps,… Jace had taken that information and his ideas from the night before and written a detailed, sensible mission plan.

Alec checked twice to make sure he hadn't overlooked or forgotten anything, then signed the document.

When he entered the bedroom again, a bag of nutrition solution was attached to Magnus' IV and Izzy was handing his boyfriend a clean tissue.

At the sound of Alec closing the door, his sister looked back over her shoulder. "So, what's the verdict, big brother?"

Alec held out the folder with the signed mission plan to her. "Jace did a great job gathering the information and writing the mission plan. I signed it. May the Angel guard the team that goes in. Please call or text me immediately with the mission results."

Izzy smiled. "You know we will. I will also convey your gratitude to Jace and your blessing to the team, oh fearless leader." Her smile morphed into a grin as she spoke.

Alec hugged her awkwardly from behind. "I'm serious, Iz." He kissed her cheek.

"I know." Izzy scrunched up her face. "You're scratchy." She took the folder from her brother.

Alec chuckled and rubbed a hand across the lower half of his face.

Magnus grinned up at him.

"Sorry, Iz. Haven't had time to shave."

" _That's_ kind of obvious, big brother. Give it a day or two more and you'll have a magnificent beard." Izzy grinned and ducked around Alec to be out of arm's reach.

Alec mock-glared at her. "My beard doesn't grow _that_ fast!"

Magnus looked at him with raised eyebrows and Izzy chuckled.

"Besides, I'm gonna shave before then anyway!"

Now Izzy was laughing. "As long as you shave before you return to the Institute. I'm not sure the others would recognize you with a beard down to your chest."

Magnus' chuckle at that immediately turned into a hacking cough.

"That's what you get for joining sides with her and laughing about me," Alec scolded as he rushed to Magnus' side to rub and pat his back.

Izzy watched them for a moment, a smile on her face. "I need to leave. I have work waiting for me at the Institute. Take care, and you'll hear from me or Jace if there's any news – on the fungus _or_ on the mission."

Alec looked at her over his shoulder without taking his hand from Magnus' back. "Thank you, Iz. I hope you find out more about that fungus thing."

Izzy left and exchanged the sample box for an empty one on her way out.

Alec and Magnus spent the time it took for the IV to run into Magnus' body curled up together under the covers, with Alec rubbing his boyfriend's back and handing him fresh tissues.

Afterwards, Magnus went through another inhalation treatment with chamomile. While it still felt strange to inhale steam, this time the treatment dislodged quite a bit of mucus from Magnus' nose, forcing him to blow his nose even more often than before.

Magnus still wasn't able to gargle with saltwater and gave up after two tries. The hot bath at least was something he looked forward to every time.

While Magnus relaxed in the thyme-scented water, Alec aired the bedroom and fed the cats. Then he helped Magnus settle back into bed with a hot water bottle and brought him fresh tea.

Izzy had sent a text message while Magnus was in the bathroom. Alec read it aloud for Magnus' benefit.

_Defly fungal though not one we know. Doing further tests. Sending someone with medication from C._

"That's good news, I'd say. Let's hope they get here soon." Alec smiled at Magnus who'd grown more hopeful with the new information.

Magnus' answering smile was soon erased by a coughing fit, and then they were back to their routine of Magnus coughing, sneezing, blowing his nose and needing frequent trips to the bathroom and Alec providing him with tissues, tea and hot water bottle refills and carrying him to the bathroom and back.

*

The sound of the doorbell startled them both about two hours later.

Alec looked at Magnus. "Are you expecting anyone today?"

Magnus shook his head. He had no idea who might be at the door. Alec had put a warning to all warlocks on it, so they would stay away until the sign was erased again. Jace, Isabelle and Clary had full access to the apartment and didn't need to ring the doorbell.

"I'd better go and find out who it is," Alec decided. He made sure Magnus was tucked in and had the tissues within reach, then made his way to the apartment door and opened it.

"Mom?" Alec's jaw dropped at the sight before him: his mother, immaculately dressed as always, with a large bag over her shoulder.

"Are you going to invite me in, Alec?"

At those words, Alec shut his mouth with an audible noise and stepped back from the door.

Maryse Lightwood entered the apartment, her heels clicking on the floor. Once Alec had closed the door, Maryse let her gaze travel down his body from head to toes and back up again.

"You look _awful_ , Alec. When was the last time you slept? Or ate?"

Alec squirmed under her gaze. "I don't… I mean… it's been a while," he mumbled. "I can always use runes," he hastily added at his mother's disapproving look.

"Runes are for emergencies, Alec," Maryse admonished. "And they aren't the same as sleep and food. You need to take better care of yourself."

Alec bristled at that. "I need to take care of _Magnus_. He's sick and he needs me. I'll get more than enough sleep and food once he's better. Until then I can substitute with runes. I've done it before when there was too much work and not enough time."

Maryse' expression turned sad. "And I guess I am at least partially to blame for the fact that you think that is okay, or normal. Even though Jace or Isabelle would have spelled you for a few hours at any time, had you just asked."

Alec looked confused. "Blame? You taught me about duty and about being part of a family. Magnus is part of my family now. If he needs me, I'm there for him. Jace and Izzy have duties at the Institute. They are already doing my job for me there, I can't drag them over here for hours."

"Then I guess it's a good thing _I'm_ here." Maryse looked up at Alec. "Is Magnus awake?"

"Yes. He can't sleep with all the coughing and-" he stopped himself, looking at his mother, at her bag and at his mother again. "Mom, why are _you_ here? Aren't you supposed to be in Idris, with Max?"

"Max is safe with the Silent Brothers at the Idris Hospital. Robert is in Idris and looks in on him at least twice a day. I leave on assignment tomorrow and wanted to visit my other children. Only to be told that my oldest isn't there but with his sick boyfriend. Has been there for about a week. Why didn't you tell me, Alec?"

"There was no need. You were in Idris, taking care of Max. This didn't concern you."

Maryse gave him an incredulous look. " _Didn't concern me?_ You are my _son_! Magnus is your partner, and you've made it very clear that it isn't a fling or a phase. That makes Magnus practically my son-in-law and thus family. Are you trying to tell me family doesn't concern me? Did you even consider that as a mother to four children I might have some experience taking care of sick people?"

Alec opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked – for lack of a better word – gobsmacked. "Son-in-law?" he croaked. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd hear his mother call Magnus _that_.

Maryse' eyebrows shot up. " _That's_ what caught your attention?" She shook her head. "Yes, son-in-law. I have no idea whether the two of you have any plans of formalizing your relationship, but from what I have seen so far you already treat each other like husbands. Now, can we get back on track? Since Magnus is awake, I would like you to bring me to him so I can greet him."

Alec swallowed and nodded. "Come with me, then." He started to walk towards the bedroom.

"Try not to look like you're being escorted to your execution, Alec. We don't want to scare Magnus after all." Maryse' smile was audible in her voice.

Personally, Alec thought that to be a futile endeavor. He led his mother to the bedroom and entered the room first. "Magnus? Your… your almost-mother-in-law is here." He wasn't sure how Magnus would take that announcement, but he just had no idea how else to tell his boyfriend who was visiting them.

Magnus' eyes grew large with surprise and his eyebrow rose. He hadn't even known he was engaged, much less almost married!

Maryse followed Alec into the room and smiled at Magnus. "Hello Magnus. I apologize for barging in without calling first, but I didn't want to wake you in case you actually managed to sleep a bit. Isabelle told me that that is kind of difficult for you right now. I'm bringing a few supplies."

Magnus opened his mouth to try and reply but she immediately cut him off. "She also informed me that you have no voice at the moment, so don't make your throat worse by trying to talk."

Magnus nodded and sagged back into his pillow.

"What did Catarina have for us?" Alec asked. Izzy hadn't been very specific about that.

Maryse slid her bag off her shoulder and took two boxes out of it. "She gave me two medications for Magnus and asked that we call her when I hand them over so she can give you the necessary instructions."

"Okay." Alec turned his attention to Magnus. "May I borrow your phone again, Magnus? I'll put the conversation on speaker so you can listen as well."

Magnus nodded.

Alec picked up his boyfriend's phone and dialed Catarina's number.

Catarina answered after the third ring. "Hello?"

"Catarina? It's Alec Lightwood. I'm going to put you on speaker, so Magnus and my mother can hear you as well." He immediately put those words into action. "There. Now, my mother says you have instructions for us?"

"Yes," the warlock replied. "Do you have pen and paper? You might want to take notes."

Alec tore the last page from his notebook, took out his pen and used the flat surface of the notebook cover to write on. "Yes. What do we need to know?"

"The one with the blue-green stripe on the package is a general antimycotic – a medication that is effective against a broad variety of fungal infections. Magnus has to take one pill twice a day – in the morning and in the evening – with a few sips of water or tea."

Alec wrote that information down. He was very glad that Catarina had referred to the medication by the color of the package and not the complicated name printed on it. "Okay, got it."

"The one in the red-and-white box is codeine, a strong mundane painkiller that also suppresses the urge to cough. Now, don't get your hopes up too much, Magnus," Catarina cautioned.

Alec looked at his boyfriend and caught a glimpse of the very hopeful look on his face before it dimmed with his friend's last words.

"You need to cough up the stuff in your lungs, so we mustn't suppress your cough altogether. Since you also need to sleep, you take one pill in the evening with a cup of water or tea and hopefully catch a few hours of sleep. Codeine can be addictive, so it is important that you stop taking it as soon as you manage to get some sleep without it."

"Addictive?" Alec's expression turned worried. He had seen Izzy during her withdrawal and it had been awful. Now Magnus might get addicted to mundane pain pills? On the other hand those pills might be the only way for his boyfriend to get some rest. Which he needed, badly, to have the strength to fight off this disease.

"Relax, Mr. Lightwood," Catarina told him. "Magnus won't get addicted from taking the medication for a few days. I'm sure it won't take all that long now for the cough to get better."

Alec wanted to ask 'But what if it does?' but yawned instead. He thanked Catarina for her help and the medication and then ended the call. Rubbing both hands over his face made him feel just a little bit more awake. He reached for his stele to activate his Caffeine rune.

His mother beat him to it, though, lifting the stele from his pocket before his fingers could close around it. "I'll take that for now."

Alec looked at her in wide-eyed surprise and confusion. "Wha-? Mom! I need to activate my Caffeine rune. Give me my stele back!"

Maryse made no move to oblige. Instead, she put his stele into her bag. "No, Alec. You need sleep. Food, too. A shower wouldn't hurt either. Do you remember that time when you needed to learn to shoot blindfolded in less than a week or wait another year to qualify for that 'Advanced Archers Training Camp' you absolutely wanted to go to? You refused to eat unless handed something on the way, you barely slept and you insisted you didn't have time to shower."

"But I passed," Alec insisted. "I didn't faint or fail."

"No, you didn't," Maryse admitted. "I'm sorry to tell you, though, that by the end of the week you positively _reeked_. You may not have noticed the smell because you were so focused on your task first and elated by your success afterwards, but rest assured, that everyone else _did_ , in fact, notice."

Alec sputtered, rendered speechless by his mother.

Magnus snorted and immediately started to cough again.

Maryse leaned over to pat his back.

_That_ surprised Magnus so much that the coughing fit actually stopped.

"But… but…" Alec had found his voice again, though not his eloquence. "You could have told me! And I won't forget this time. I showered yesterday! I think."

"If you can't remember, you might want to take a shower anyway," Maryse stated calmly. "At least you didn't deny you need food and sleep. That's a start."

Alec did an impressive imitation of a beached fish, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly without any sounds emerging.

"The way you are acting right now, you're running yourself ragged. You'll be of no use to anyone if you drop from exhaustion. If you're smart, you'll take advantage of my being here and let me take care of Magnus for a few hours. I don't have any duties until tomorrow in the early afternoon."

"Mom, I'm _fine_! I can do this!" Alec stood a little straighter to convince his mother. "Besides, Magnus is really weak and I have to carry him to the kitchen for his inhalation treatment and to the bathroom."

Maryse' eyebrows rose. "Alec, are you trying to insinuate that I, your mother, who is both a Shadowhunter on active duty _and_ one of your instructors, am too weak to help Magnus get to another room?"

Alec blushed and stammered something unintelligible.

"Or are you calling Magnus fat?"

Alec paled. "What? No! I'd never-"

Maryse chuckled. "Well, I guess I have my answer. For your information: I'm still capable of dumping you on your ass in practice, grown man or not, and I am more than capable of supporting _or_ carrying Magnus."

Alec aimed a pointed look at her four-inch heels.

Maryse followed his gaze down, then looked at her son with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, in heels. Who do you think taught Isabelle? Hodge?"

Alec snorted at the thought of his former weapons instructor in high heels. Then he turned serious again. "It's not just about carrying Magnus, mom. Every evening I have to take samples and test his blood sugar and take his temperature. Izzy needs the data to find out more about the disease."

Maryse shrugged. "I already know how to take someone's temperature. Explain the rest to me and I'll get everything Isabelle needs."

Magnus blushed crimson at the thought of _Maryse_ taking his temperature. It was bad enough he would have to accept her help using the bathroom if he wanted to give Alec a chance to grab a few hours of sleep. Letting her push a thermometer… no. Not unless it was a matter of life and death!

Two red spots bloomed in Alec's face. "Mom, I'm sure you… you'd be very… capable… but…um… I don't… I mean… Magnus might…" He was stammering and his blush deepened.

His mother looked from him to Magnus and back. "Am I right in assuming you're trying to tell me that Magnus would not be comfortable with me taking his temperature?"

Alec, cheeks burning, nodded. Hell, _he_ wouldn't want his mother to take his temperature either. It would be too embarrassing.

Maryse sighed. "Magnus, I realize we haven't known each other that long or that well. Alec needs to rest, though, and I _really_ know what I'm doing. I have a husband and four children and each of them has had their share of diseases, needing me to take care of them. I won't hurt you when taking your temperature, and the sight of a naked ass won't make me faint or fumble."

"Mom!"

Maryse was faintly amused to see her son's blush darken. "Don't 'Mom!' me, Alec. You may not remember but even you had a fever now and then when you were a child. It's not that big a deal. Now just show me what else I need to do and then you can catch some sleep."

Both Magnus and Alec blushed even darker shades of red.

Magnus shook his head.

"Mom, no. I'm not _that_ tired. Besides, I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway if I had to worry about examination results." A wide yawn made the last few words hard to understand.

Maryse scoffed. "Yeah, I can see clearly you're not tired." She sighed. "Fine. I can see you're dead set on not letting me do those examinations. How about we make a deal? You show me your supplies and tell me everything I need to know and do for this afternoon, and then you shave, shower, eat and sleep. I, in turn, will come and wake you in time for those examinations. What do you say?"

"I don't need all that," Alec insisted, yawning. "I'll just—"

His mother cut him off. "Alec, let me spell it out for you: Either you agree to this deal or I will bodily wrestle you out of those clothes, shave your face and scrub you head to toes myself, force-feed you a meal and tie you to a bed. The sight might amuse Magnus but he would also be left alone until I've tucked you in. Now, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Magnus snorted, then coughed.

Alec's eyes grew wide. "Mom! You wouldn't-" He broke off as he saw his mother's eyebrows rise. The tall man seemed to lose a few inches as he squirmed uncomfortably. "I'll take the deal," he mumbled in the end.

"Good choice," Maryse stated. "Now, start explaining."

And Alec did. Once he was satisfied his mother knew everything she needed to know to take care of Magnus for the next few hours, he kissed Magnus' forehead, grabbed pajamas, fresh clothes, towels and his things from the bathroom and headed for the bedroom door.

Maryse stopped him with an outstretched arm. "Phone."

Alec gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Give me your phone, Alec."

He started to protest, but she silenced him with a single gesture. "I _know_ you. You are waiting for a call from the Institute, and you will want to discuss the mission in detail. You're supposed to rest. Now hand me your phone. If Jace calls while you're asleep, I'll take notes and you can call him back later."

Alec still hesitated. What if he was needed at the Institute? Maybe he should call Jace right now. He could talk and eat at the same time.

Maryse snapped her fingers in front of Alec's face to get his attention. "Alec. The phone." She sounded as impatient as she felt.

Startled, Alec took out his phone and reluctantly handed it to his mother. "And you'll wake me at eight?"

Maryse nodded. "Yes, I will. Now go hold up your end of the deal."


	12. Chapter 12

Alec left for the guest room. He dumped everything he held onto the bed there and walked back out, towards the kitchen.

As he was in no mood to cook, he just made a sandwich and poured himself a glass of orange juice. When he took the first bite, his stomach rumbled and made him realize that he was, in fact, famished. He tried to remember when he'd last eaten something. It had to have been sometime yesterday, but he just didn't know.

Alec wolfed the sandwich down in record time, not caring about manners once his hunger finally registered in his mind, and quickly prepared another sandwich. That one he ate at a more sedate pace.

It took two big sandwiches and three glasses of juice to pacify the Nephilim's stomach. Feeling pleasantly full but not overstuffed, Alec cleaned up the kitchen and returned to the guest bedroom.

He stripped and left his folded clothes on the bed. With towels over his shoulder and his bag of bathroom supplies in his hand, he entered the guest bathroom.

Alec quickly brushed his teeth and then used the electrical razor to get rid of the beard. No matter how much he may have denied it when speaking to his sister, the hairs on his face had actually grown so much already they deserved to be called that.

He already had one foot in the shower when something occurred to him: He was reasonably sure that Jace would call any minute now. While he had more or less promised his mother that he would eat, shave, wash and then sleep, he hadn't said anything about the speed at which he was going to do those things. A shower would, even with washing his hair, only take a few minutes. A bath on the other hand…

Decision made, Alec plugged the bathtub drain, poured some of his shower gel into the tub – he hadn't thought to bring bubble bath or bath oil and wasn't going to risk running into his mother just to get some herbs from the kitchen – and turned on the hot water.

While he waited for the tub to fill, he went into the bedroom and opened the door to the hallway a crack. On his way back, he left the bathroom door ajar as well. This way he should be able to hear his phone ring when Jace called.

Satisfied with the arrangement, Alec climbed into the tub, sat down and turned the water off. He leaned back against the wall of the tub and closed his eyes. This was so much better than a shower!

*

Maryse waited for the door to close behind her son before she turned back to Magnus. "I brought a few more things I think will be useful." She rummaged through her bag and took out a jar.

Magnus looked at her questioningly.

"It is an herbal balm, mixed according to an old family recipe. It should help clear your nose and ease your breathing."

Magnus nodded to show he understood, but was still unsure how exactly he was supposed to use this balm.

"If you unbutton your pajama I will rub the balm into your chest."

Magnus hesitated a moment, then reached for the topmost button. Anything that might help him breathe more easily was worth a try.

Maryse saw his shaking fingers fumble with the buttons and reached out a hand. She waited for Magnus to give permission with a nod and then undid the upper four buttons of his pajama top.

She opened the jar and scooped up some balm with two fingers. "This may feel a bit cool," she told the warlock before she started to spread the balm on his chest.

Magnus inhaled as deeply as he could, trying to identify the ingredients of the balm. His nose was clogged so badly, though, he couldn't smell anything. The way his skin felt cool after a while where the balm touched it made him think some mint might be involved.

Maryse was gentle but efficient. As soon as she had spread the balm all over Magnus' chest and worked it into the skin a bit, she did his buttons up again and drew the covers up to his chin with her clean hand.

Magnus relaxed back into the pillow with a small sigh.

Maryse smiled at him. "I'll be right back."

She went to the bathroom to wash the last bit of balm from her hand. When she returned to the bedroom, she grabbed a writing pad and a pen from her bag and handed both to Magnus. "Since I don't know you well enough to read your facial expressions, I thought you'd like another way to communicate than miming and signing."

Magnus smiled and nodded. It might have been just his imagination but he thought his nose had cleared a bit. Breathing felt easier. He took the writing pad and pen, scribbled a sentence in handwriting that looked a lot more shaky than usual and turned the writing pad towards Maryse. _I think I need the recipe._

Maryse chuckled. "Well, it's a family recipe and you are part of the family. Of course you can have it."

Magnus listened as Maryse began to list the ingredients and quickly realized that it might be difficult to remember the exact amounts. _Slow down, please. Need to memorize_ , he wrote and held it out for Maryse to read.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I'll write it down for you later. I made two jars, which should be enough to get you through this, but you might need the balm again in the future."

Well, that solved that problem. Magnus used the writing pad again. _Thank you._

"You're welcome, Magnus." Maryse smiled at him. "Would you like to try and sleep a bit now that breathing is hopefully a bit easier?"

Magnus nodded and closed his eyes.

Maryse started singing in a low voice. It was one of the lullabies she'd sung her children when they had been younger.

Magnus smiled as he recognized the song. It was one Alec had sung to him several times already. Which wasn't exactly a surprise. Somehow Magnus doubted it had been Robert who'd sat at their children's bedside and sung them to sleep.

Maryse didn't stop when the lullaby ended. She just started a new one.

This one Magnus didn't know. It was melodious and spoke of the whispering wind and gleaming stars.

But as nice as being sung to was and despite the eased breathing, Magnus couldn't sleep. The essential oils didn't stop the coughing or the stomach cramps, or the muscle aches. Then his body informed him that another trip to the bathroom was in order.

So he opened his eyes and wrote down just one word for Maryse: _Bathroom._

Maryse stopped singing immediately. "You need to go?"

Magnus nodded and pushed down the covers as much as he could.

"Don't worry, we'll get you there. I meant what I said to Alec." She slipped off her shoes and folded the covers back. At Magnus' pointed glance toward her feet she grinned. "Just because I'm perfectly capable of fighting or carrying someone in high heels doesn't mean I _have_ to wear high heels for it."

Magnus grinned back.

Maryse carefully picked Magnus up bridal style and carried him to the bathroom.

Magnus hesitated for only a second before wrapping his arms around her neck.

It took them a moment to figure out how exactly to get business done efficiently and with the least amount of blushing on Magnus' part, but it worked out better than he had anticipated – or rather, feared.

Maryse knew what she was doing, didn't show any embarrassment as she was assisting Magnus and quite obviously hadn't exaggerated about her strength and capabilities.

Magnus knew that he needed the help and was glad Maryse was so matter-of-fact about it, but he still hoped they would never speak of today again in the future.

Afterwards, Maryse carried Magnus back to the bed and tucked him in.

Magnus wriggled his hands free to use the writing pad. _Could you refill the hot water bottle for me? It's at the foot end of the bed under the covers._

Maryse read the request with a frown. "I have something better than a hot water bottle." Then she took something out of her bag that, to Magnus, looked like an owl plushie. A very colorful owl plushie. Magnus could see some pinks, some purples and even glittery silver.

Before he could write down a question, Maryse took something out of the plushie and showed it to him. "This cloth bag contains grape seeds. I will heat it in the oven and then put it back into the plushie. My children all loved these and preferred them to hot water bottles because they are soft and cuddly and don't ever cool below body temperature while they are in touch with your body."

 _That_ sounded nice. Magnus held out his hand and Maryse let him feel the bag. Covered with the plushie, it would probably feel soft and squishy.

"I'll put it in the oven, and while I'm in the kitchen I'll prepare some tea for you as well."

Magnus nodded his approval.

Maryse switched on the Magnus Monitor, picked up the receiver and went to the kitchen. While she waited for the bag of grape seeds to warm up, she set a pot of water to boil. In the meantime, she strolled through the apartment, remembering the party Magnus had thrown for Max. The events of that party had opened her eyes to a few truths.

She stopped, surprised, when she noticed that the door to the guest room was open a crack and the room was brightly lit. Had Alec been so tired he'd fallen asleep without drawing the curtains? Or was he trying to keep himself awake and do some work despite their agreement?

Maryse eased the door open and stuck her head into the room, intending to just quietly draw the curtains if Alec turned out to be asleep already. The bed was empty, however, and looked untouched. Alec wasn't anywhere in the room.

Maryse was turning back around to search the rest of the apartment for her son when she saw that the bathroom door was slightly open. "Alec?" she called softly but got no response. She slowly pushed open the door – and found Alec in the bathtub, fast asleep.

Maryse walked over to the tub and reached for her son's shoulder with one hand. The water in the tub was cold. She actually had to give Alec's shoulder a gentle shake to rouse him, which spoke volumes about how tired he really had to be.

*

Alec woke to someone gripping his shoulder and gave his mother a confused look.

Maryse smiled at him. "When I said I wanted you to get some sleep, the bathtub wasn't what I had in mind. There's a perfectly good bed out there, you know?"

Alec blinked once, twice. _Bathtub. Bed._ Realization hit, and he pulled his knees to his chest so fast his head almost slipped under water. A blush spread down his face towards his chest. "Mom! What are you doing here?"

Maryse chuckled and pulled her hand back. "Easy, Alec. Nothing I haven't seen before. I guess I just saved you from sleeping in cold water. I'm sure you'd be way more comfortable in the bed."

Alec rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. His mother hadn't seen him naked in _years_ and he could have gone the rest of his life without changing that.

"Will you need help getting out of the tub and into bed?" Maryse was only half-teasing. If Alec was tired enough to fall asleep in the tub he might be too tired to make his way to the bed without assistance. The look Alec gave her was so horrified she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Mom, no! I'm fine! Just… just go and take care of Magnus!"

"All right, but make sure you get out of the cold water soon and head straight for bed." Maryse kissed the top of Alec's head. "Sleep well." She turned around and returned to the kitchen, shutting the doors behind herself.

*

She poured the boiling water onto the sage leaves and set an alarm on her phone. Then she turned off the oven and retrieved the now-warm bag.

Bag in one hand, receiver in the other, Maryse returned to Magnus' side. "I apologize for the delay, but now the seeds are hot enough to keep you pleasantly warm." She put the bag back into the owl and helped Magnus settle the fluffy, colorful plushie on his stomach.

Magnus sighed in contentment.

"I had to wake up Alec just now. My son, who so adamantly claimed he wasn't tired, fell asleep in the bathtub." Maryse didn't even try to keep the mixture of concern and amusement out of her voice.

Magnus looked up at Maryse in surprise and disbelief.

Maryse chuckled. "Yes, really. I had to shake his shoulder to wake him up. He insisted he didn't need any help to get to the bed, but I think I will check on him when I get your tea. Alec looked _very_ tired."

Magnus snorted as he imagined Alec's reaction to waking up in the tub, stark naked, with his mother's hand on his shoulder. The snort quickly turned into a cough.

Maryse patted Magnus' back. "Easy. It'll pass."

It took a while, but eventually the coughing fit did pass and Magnus tried to calm his breathing.

A faint ringing noise broke the silence.

Maryse took her phone out of her pocket, shut off the alarm and turned back to Magnus. "Your tea is ready. I'll get it and check in on Alec on the way. Would you like me to get you something to eat as well?"

Magnus shook his head firmly. He most definitely did _not_ want anything to eat!

Maryse smiled at him. "All right. I'll be back soon. If you need anything in the meantime, don't tax your voice. Just clap your hands or snap your fingers or make some other kind of noise for me to hear." She waited for Magnus to nod, then left the bedroom.

Maryse strained the tea through a sieve and poured a cup for Magnus. Then she left the cup on the counter to cool a bit and went to the guest bedroom. She couldn't hear anything from inside, so she carefully opened the door.

The room was as dark as drawn curtains could make it, and Alec was lying in the bed, fast asleep.

His mother walked over to the bed, pulled the covers up to Alec's chin and tucked them in slightly around him. Then she brushed a hand through her son's still-damp hair. "Sweet dreams," Maryse muttered and quietly left the room, closing the door behind herself.

*

She retrieved the cup of tea from the kitchen and returned to Magnus' side. "Alec's asleep again," she told him. "And he even made it into bed this time."

Magnus grinned up at her. He was amused, yes, but mostly he was glad she kept him in the loop about Alec. It was a relief to know that his boyfriend was taken care of as well.

He slowly sipped the tea with Maryse' help. It didn't taste of much to him, but the warm liquid _did_ feel nice to his throat. It eased the urge to cough temporarily.

Maryse set the empty cup down on the nightstand. "Would you like to get some sleep?"

Magnus shook his head. He saw no point in trying. The coughing and sneezing would prevent him from falling asleep anyway.

"Well, then we need a way to pass the time, right?" Maryse didn't give Magnus the chance to answer before she continued. "I packed a travel chess set, but I imagine it might be rather inconvenient for you to have to write down every move."

There was no way he'd be able to move the pieces with his shaking hands, so Magnus nodded.

"Luckily, I brought a few other things as well. Would you like to see some pictures from Alec's childhood?"

Magnus' expression brightened and his eyes shone.

Maryse laughed. "I'll take that as an enthusiastic yes." She pulled three photo albums from her bag and put two of them on the nightstand. Then she opened the third.

When she leaned over the bed to show Magnus the first picture, he weakly patted the bed next to him.

Maryse gave him a questioning look. "Is that an invitation to sit down?"

Magnus nodded.

"Thank you." Maryse settled on the edge of the bed, facing Magnus. She held the photo album for him and pointed to the first picture.

In it, a small, dark-haired boy was standing on a box or block of some kind, a bow in hand and the string with the arrow drawn back to his cheek. The lower limb of the bow extended down beyond the boy's feet.

"It was the smallest bow they had but it was still too big for Alec. He was a little over four years old, and he absolutely insisted that that was the weapon he wanted to train with. Everyone said there was no way he'd be able to draw that bow, and Alec proved them wrong. He worked hard until he could actually use it."

Magnus smiled fondly at the boy in the picture. He knew Alexander was determined and strong, but he hadn't known he'd already been so at such a young age.

Maryse had just turned the page to another picture when Alec's phone rang. She put the photo album down on the bed and answered the call. "Yes?"

Magnus couldn't hear what the other person said but he assumed it was Jace, calling to tell Alec about the mission.

"Hello Jace."

Apparently he was right.

"Alec's asleep right now... Yes, asleep. He was dead on his feet when I arrived here. Why didn't one of you take over for a few hours?... Didn't a—? Oh for the Angel's sake, Jace! You know him. You know he wouldn't—… No, don't call later. Give me the facts and I'll write them down for him. Then _he_ can call _you_ back when he wakes up…. Yes, I'm listening." Maryse took the writing pad and pen and wrote down the information Jace gave her.

Magnus decided that it was very strange to only hear one side of a conversation.

Maryse finished writing and hung up. When she turned around, she looked tense.

Magnus held out his hand for the writing pad.

Maryse ripped off the topmost page and gave the writing pad and pen to Magnus. Then she folded the page she held and put it, together with Alec's phone and stele, on the nightstand on Alec's side of the bed.

Magnus meanwhile wrote down his question. _Did something go wrong with the mission?_ It would have been an explanation for the tension in her body.

Maryse read the question and frowned. "What? No, no. The mission went well. The demons are gone, the mundanes are none the wiser and there were no casualties among the team."

Well, that seemed like all good news. Something didn't add up. _You're tense._

Maryse sighed. "I just… Jace and Isabelle should know Alec well enough not to wait for him to ask for help. They should have just insisted."

_They are helping. A lot._

"As they should. In a family, everyone should always look out for everyone else. Make sure everyone gets the help they need – not the help they want or they think they need."

This concept wasn't completely foreign to Magnus. He had his ‘children' – Downworlders he'd taken under his wing – after all. With those, however, _he_ was the one taking care of _them_. Never the other way around. He was very happy – albeit somewhat confused – that Isabelle and Jace and Clary were doing so much to help Alexander take care of him. Now it looked like Jace and Isabelle at least were going to be reprimanded for not doing enough? _Isabelle does research. Jace does Alexander's job._

Maryse read the message and sighed again. "Yes, of course they are doing important work. What would have happened, though, if Alec had collapsed from exhaustion? Would you have been able to get to a phone and call for help?"

Magnus wanted to protest that he wasn't _that_ weak but reconsidered. He absolutely wasn't sure he'd be capable of getting to his phone and typing a coherent message. Calling was entirely out of the question at the moment.

Maryse seemed to read the thoughts on his face because she simply nodded. "Now you understand. They should have made the time to spell Alec for a few hours at least." She picked up the photo album again. "Change of topic?"

Magnus nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

Maryse opened the photo album to the next picture.

This one showed a young Alexander – he was maybe five years old – on a black pony with a white star on its forehead. Alexander was smiling ear-to-ear as he trotted the pony around what seemed to be a riding arena.

"That's Alec on his very first pony. He named it ‘Arrow'."

Magnus grinned. _I'm beginning to see a theme._

Maryse laughed. "Are you now? Well, maybe. I guess Alec has always been an archer." She turned another page.

Magnus took one look at the picture and started sniggering, which quickly triggered another coughing fit.

Maryse patted his back but had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing.

Once both of them had calmed, Maryse explained. "It was a hot summer day in Idris and we all went for a swim. This picture was a lucky accident. I just wanted to capture the fun the children were having on film. I didn't discover what I'd taken a photo of until the film was developed." She couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice.

The picture in question showed Alexander at maybe six or seven years of age, swimming in what was either a very narrow pond or a really slow-moving river. That wasn't the funny bit, though. On Alexander's head, in that nest of dark hair, there sat a frog. It seemed to be in the process of jumping away, and the boy's eyes were rolled upwards, trying to see what was going on on his head.

Magnus wished he had a copy of that picture so he could tease Alexander with it.

A few more pictures showed everyday scenes: Alexander sitting on a couch, reading; Alexander playing hide and seek with his younger sister in the garden behind their house; Alexander, Izzy and Maryse together in front of a fountain, the whole scene with a Mediterranean feel to it; and so on.

Magnus drank it all in. It was precious insight into his boyfriend's childhood, and he was immensely grateful to Maryse for sharing these memories with him.

*

Maryse found to her surprise that she greatly enjoyed looking at the pictures with Magnus. When was the last time she'd actually browsed the family photo albums, remembering the past? When had there last been someone to share all the fond or funny memories with? Yes, she'd kept the photos, but most of the time the albums stayed on a shelf.

Maybe when she returned from her next mission there would be time to browse the albums with her children, to relive all those memories. She wanted to spend more time with her children in future, _really_ spend time with them. She wanted to get to know the adults her children had become, get to know their plans and hopes and dreams. Their partners, too.

Maryse turned another page and smiled fondly at the picture. In it, a young Alec was carrying what looked like an uneven molehill partially covered in something pink and topped by a burning pink candle. Next to Alec stood his little sister. Both children were smiling brightly, their eyes shining.

Magnus studied the picture then looked at Maryse questioningly.

"It was my 29th birthday, and Alec and Isabelle woke me with a birthday cake they had baked completely on their own. Alec was eight and Isabelle was six. It was apparently supposed to be a chocolate cake with apple filling. Somehow, the cake left the pan in chunks and crumbs, though. They decided to forego the filling, heaped the bits and pieces onto a plate and tried to hide the disaster under the pink frosting. Which turned out to be the only palatable part of that cake. I ate a whole piece of cake, praised their effort and thanked them from the bottom of my heart. The next day I arranged for them to get proper cooking lessons. Unfortunately, Isabelle turned out to be completely hopeless in the kitchen, but Alec improved quickly."

*

Magnus smiled. He'd already gotten a taste of Alexander's cooking skills. _I'm grateful for those lessons,_ he wrote down.

Maryse chuckled. "So he already cooked for you. Good."

_Broth._

"Ah. Well, I can assure you that Alec knows how to cook a lot more complicated dishes than broth. You should invite him to use your kitchen more often once you are well again."

Magnus grinned. _Good idea._

They had reached the second album when Jace showed up in a picture for the first time. He stood next to Alexander, each of them with an obviously dead hare in one hand and a bow in the other. Their hair was wind-swept, their faces smudged with dirt and their eyes shining. Although they both smiled widely for the camera, Jace looked a little more restrained, more composed than Alexander. Robert stood behind the boys and had a hand on each one's shoulder.

Maryse smiled fondly as she remembered the day she'd taken the picture. "It was a few days after Jace came to live with us. Robert had taken the boys on a hunting trip while I stayed home with Isabelle and Max. Isabelle threw a tantrum when Robert refused to take her along and wouldn't relent. He hadn't told her – or the boys – that the trip was supposed to give them an opportunity to get to know each other. Alec and Jace were so proud when they returned with the hares."

_And Alexander finally grew into that bow. It's no longer bigger than him._

Maryse laughed. "Yes, by then he had a bow fitting his height."

From then on Jace shared most pictures with Alexander. Maryse had captured them wrestling, training, riding, running, swimming,… A few pictures stood out to Magnus.

In one of them, they were lying in the tall grass, their hands, lips and teeth smeared purplish red.

Maryse chuckled at the sight. "I asked them to pick some blueberries for a cake. They did, but they also ate a fair amount themselves – and apparently fed each other rather forcefully, judging by the berry juice smeared everywhere."

_Did they leave enough berries for your cake?_

Maryse grinned. "Yes, they knew better than to eat them all."

In another picture, both boys wore dark suits and somber expressions. They were flanking Isabelle who was just as serious in her elegant black dress and with her hair pulled back and pinned up.

_What happened there?_

Maryse smiled warmly. "That was the evening before Isabelle's runing ceremony. She was so excited to join the community of on-duty Shadowhunters but she was also nervous even though she tried to hide it. She knew about Robert's reaction to _his_ first rune and was afraid it might happen to her as well. Alec saw right through the brave face she was showing to everyone and did his best to calm her down by telling her about his own ceremony. Jace was mostly curious. Since his father was in exile at his manor, they just sent a Silent Brother to give Jace his first rune. I doubt it was a very festive event. That made him very curious to see what the runing ceremony was like for other Shadowhunter children. The runing ceremony the next day went very well. We were so proud of Isabelle."

Yes, Magnus could imagine quite well how Alexander had done his best to take care of his sister back then.

One of the other pictures seemed quite ordinary and unspectacular at first glance but proved to be very revealing at further study. It was apparently a kind of celebration and Alexander seemed to be about sixteen years old. It was a group photo of young Nephilim, and everyone was smiling and laughing.

But the interesting part of the picture, at least to Magnus, was the way Alexander was looking at Jace. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes shone with adoration. He seemed to be drinking in every word from the other boy's lips.

Looking at that picture, Magnus really doubted Alexander had managed to keep his crush on Jace – and it looked like a major crush in the picture – as secret as he had wanted.

During the first few weeks of their relationship, Magnus had sometimes worried Alexander might be using him to get over his feelings for Jace, or to not be alone until he could get Jace, or maybe to make Jace jealous. It had taken him a while to believe that Alexander truly loved him, really wanted _him_. He counted himself very lucky.

The last picture in that album made Maryse laugh again. It showed Alexander and Jace arm in arm, grinning and each lifting the hem of his shirt with one hand.

"I took that picture right after their _parabatai_ ceremony. Jace insisted they needed to show their _parabatai_ runes to prove their new bond. He kept pestering Alec who suggested a ‘normal' photo would do and even started to drag up the hem of his shirt for him until Alec relented. They were both so happy their _parabatai_ bond had been approved."

Magnus took a closer look at the picture. Yes, both young men were grinning and showing off their brand new _parabatai_ runes, but Alexander looked somewhat subdued. Magnus wasn't sure if nobody else had noticed that before or if they'd just ignored it but he thought he could guess the reason: _Parabatai_ bonds were strictly platonic. By accepting it, Alexander had given up any chance of ever acting on his crush.

It had to have been a bittersweet memory for Alexander. The ceremony had gotten him as close to Jace as he was ever going to get, but back then he had wanted more. A lot more.

Maryse closed the album and, after a look at the clock, placed it on the nightstand. "It's almost 8 p. m.," she said. "I have to go wake Alec. Do you need anything before that?""

Magnus wrote down a question and held the writing pad out for Maryse to read. _Will you bring me back some tea?_

"Of course I will." Maryse smiled at him, reaching for the Magnus Monitor. "I will be right back."

*

When she reached the guestroom door, she knocked gently. There was no answer. Maryse opened the door and slipped into the room.

Alec was still fast asleep, the covers pulled up to his ears and his face buried in the pillow.

The dim light filtering through the drawn curtains was enough for Maryse to safely make her way to Alec's side. She reached out a hand to stroke his hair.

He didn't react.

"Alec? It's time to wake up."

Nothing.

Maryse pulled down the covers a bit and grabbed her son's shoulder, shaking him slightly.

Alec groaned, pushed her hand away and rolled onto his other side without ever waking up.

Maryse considered her options before she pulled the covers back up and left the guestroom. She went to the kitchen to set some water to boil and then returned to Magnus' bedroom.

*

"Magnus, we need to talk."

Magnus looked up at her, confusion and worry evident on his face.

"I tried to wake Alec up."

Magnus' eyebrows rose as he mouthed ‘Tried?'.

"He didn't wake up from my voice or touch. Not even when I shook him."

Well, _that_ was telling. Alexander _never_ slept so deeply that he didn't wake to sound or touch. He had to be completely exhausted.

"Now, I'm sure I could wake him with more drastic measures. Like emptying a bucket of ice water onto his head. If you insist, I _will_ wake him. I would prefer to let him sleep, though. He quite obviously needs the rest. Ultimately, it is your decision."

Magnus looked at her questioningly.

"Alec was adamant that you need certain samples taken and examinations done this evening. I can drag him over here and he can do those things or you can tell me what I need to do and we can let Alec sleep. Your decision."

Magnus swallowed, hard. He liked neither of those options. Just the thought of Maryse taking his temperature... Or giving him his evening bath... He shuddered.

Maryse saw the shudder but decided not to comment. Instead, she waited patiently for Magnus to make up his mind.

Magnus thought of Alexander, of the dark shadows that had developed under his eyes in the last day or so. His boyfriend desperately needed the sleep, no matter what he might have claimed earlier. Maybe Alexander could help him with the usual evening program and go back to sleep afterwards, but he would fight it – again.

Besides, Maryse was only here for the evening and maybe the night. Then she would be on assignment again. She was giving up her few hours of free time to help him. That made him feel extremely selfish for wanting Alexander to assist him tonight. Saving himself a bit – alright, a lot – of embarrassment surely wasn't worth refusing Maryse' assistance and needlessly depriving his boyfriend of several hours of sleep.

Magnus sighed and scribbled a note for Maryse. _We have a packed evening schedule._

She read the note and smiled at him. "I'm sure we'll manage. What's first?"

Explaining the evening tasks to Maryse in writing and with gestures was… interesting, Magnus decided. He thought he would probably appreciate the ability to speak a lot more once he had it back.

But they managed. They got the examinations done with as little embarrassment for Magnus as possible, and Maryse wrote down the results in Alexander's notebook. After a quick trip to the bathroom for more samples, she attached a saline bag to Magnus' IV and brewed him fresh sage tea.

Magnus sipped the tea slowly with Maryse' help.

*

They spent the time it took for the saline to run into Magnus' body looking through the third photo album.

To Magnus' disappointment, it contained only a few pictures of Alexander who'd practically been an adult and on duty away from his parents most of the time by then and seemed to focus mostly on Max growing up. Magnus looked at the pictures with polite interest to pass the time.

_How is Max? I should have asked earlier._

"He's being treated at the Idris Hospital. The Silent Brothers can't tell yet whether he'll recover completely." She smiled at Magnus. "But we're still hopeful. Thank you for asking." She took a look at the empty IV bag and disconnected it from Magnus' IV. "What's next?"

 _Inhalation treatment. Bath. Bed._ Magnus then proceeded to write down instructions for his inhalation treatment for Maryse. He expected her to start preparing his treatment once she'd read the instructions.

Instead, she asked him to explain everything else as well up to the point where he'd be back in bed.

Surprised, Magnus did as she asked.

Maryse studied his notes. "Well, I think we'll change a few things." At Magnus' doubtful look she grinned. "Don't worry, Magnus. I know what I'm doing. Taking care of four children and a husband teaches you a trick or two. You're perfectly safe with me."

And who would have thought a few months ago he'd ever hear _those_ words from the mouth of a Shadowhunter. Hear them, and actually believe them. _What are you going to do differently then?_

"First off, I will air the bathroom out right now. That gives the air time to warm a bit before we actually use it, and the fresh air will be good for you. Will you be alright if I go and prepare your treatment now?"

Magnus nodded and watched in confusion as Maryse removed the cloth bag from the owl plushie and took it with her. Why would she need to warm up the bag to prepare his treatment? He wasn't going to need it until he went back to bed.

*

As announced, Maryse went into the bathroom first and opened the window wide. Then she carried the cloth bag and the receiver to the kitchen where she put the bag in the oven to heat. She boiled a pot of water and threw in two handfuls of dried eucalyptus.

Next, she retrieved two towels from the bedroom, deposited them in the kitchen and returned to Magnus. Maryse took a pair of warm, fuzzy socks from a drawer.

Magnus looked from her to the socks she held and back with raised eyebrows.

Maryse followed his gaze. "What? These are yours, right? They look too small for my son's feet."

Magnus nodded. _Why socks?_

Maryse looked at him in surprise. "To keep your feet warm during the treatment, of course." She put the socks on his feet without waiting for a reply. Then she grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Magnus before she picked him up and carried him to the kitchen.

Magnus vowed never to question Maryse' strength or stamina again as she didn't show any signs of strain or tiring.

Maryse set Magnus down on a kitchen chair and returned to the bedroom. When she came back, she had the owl plushie in one hand and the Magnus Monitor in the other. She placed the device on the table and put the heated cloth bag back into the plushie.

Magnus sighed when she placed the plushie on his lap. The warmth felt nice.

Maryse wrapped the blanket around Magnus until only his arms, shoulders, neck and head were uncovered. "That should keep you nice and warm during your treatment. I will leave the Magnus Monitor with you while I air the bedroom and change the sheets."

Magnus nodded and watched as Maryse placed a box of tissues within his reach and then poured the hot water into the bowl in front of him. He couldn't smell what she had added to the water but obediently leaned forward to breathe in the steam.

Maryse draped a towel over his head and shoulders. Then she left Magnus to his treatment and went to close the bathroom window again. She placed several towels on the towel heater and moved on to the bedroom.

She opened the window, changed the sheets and packed the used ones into a bag. Then Maryse laid out clean pajamas for Magnus, fluffed the pillows and folded back the covers.


	14. Chapter 14

Magnus breathed in the steam as deeply as he could. This time he had to blow his nose even more often to stay able to breathe. He supposed it was a good thing to get rid of the stuff, but it was damned uncomfortable.

Just as the water cooled to the point where there wasn't enough steam anymore to sensibly continue the treatment, he heard Maryse' soft footfalls return to the kitchen. He started to push the towel off his head.

Maryse immediately helped him with that. "You're done? Did it help?"

Magnus shrugged. His nose felt slightly less stuffed right now but he wasn't sure how much the treatment helped in the long term.

"Well, I'm sure it didn't hurt. Let's get you dry again." She used a fresh towel to pat Magnus' face dry. Then she wrapped the towel around his head. "We don't want you to catch a draft. I need to prepare your bath additive before we go to the bathroom."

Magnus nodded to show he understood. He was quite happy to bask in the owl plushie's warmth a bit longer, and the blanket kept the heat around his body.

Maryse meanwhile boiled mountain pine needles in water and set the pot aside. Then she heated more water to fill two hot water bottles.

Since he couldn't talk, Magnus raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"These are for your bed. By the time we're done with your bath, the sheets will be nice and warm. It should make falling asleep easier."

Magnus hummed as he imagined how good and welcoming those sheets would feel. He definitely had to tell Alexander about it for future nights.

Maryse placed the hot water bottles in Magnus' bed, under the covers, taking into account that Magnus was going to have to sleep in a sitting position again. Then she returned to the kitchen. "Now, are you ready to relocate to the bathroom?"

Magnus nodded.

Maryse unwrapped the blanket, put the owl plushie on the table and picked Magnus up again. She carried him into the bathroom and placed him on the stool in front of the sink.

Magnus brushed his teeth and, with Maryse' assistance, rinsed his mouth.

"I think it will be easier to wash your face once you're in the tub," Maryse mused.

Magnus frowned. Of course it would. Washing his hair would probably get his face wet anyway. A quick swipe with a wet washcloth and they'd be done. It wasn't what he usually preferred but it was efficient enough. He could continue his more elaborate beauty routine once he felt better.

Maryse apparently hadn't noticed his confusion. "Are you ready for your bath?"

Magnus shook his head and pointed to the toilet.

Maryse helped him with that errand. Then she undressed him and lifted him into the tub.

Magnus blushed slightly and barely managed to keep himself from placing his hands over his groin. Maryse had taken his temperature and helped him to the toilet, so she'd already seen everything there was to see.

Maryse turned on the water and started adjusting the temperature. "I'm not sure how hot you like your baths, so I'm going to need your help. Motion upwards with your hand if the water needs to be warmer, downwards for cooler and give me a thumbs-up when it's just right."

Magnus nodded, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The water that hit his forehead and ran into his hair a moment later was warm but not hot enough. He signaled Maryse until the water reached his preferred temperature.

Maryse turned off the water once Magnus' hair was soaked and collected Magnus' hair care products from the shower stall.

Magnus was surprised to see her carry not just the shampoo but also the moisturizing hair mask and conditioner to the tub. On the one hand, he wasn't sure his body was up to a lengthy beauty routine right now. On the other hand, he really missed the products he usually treated his hair and skin with. Maybe it _was_ worth the time?

Maryse squeezed a dollop of shampoo into her palm and began to work it into Magnus' hair and scalp. She frowned. "Are you _that_ uncomfortable with me washing you?"

Magnus opened his eyes and gave her a confused look.

"The muscles in your head and neck are incredibly tense," she explained. "If this is from the disease, Alec needs to give you massages more often. This is going to give you a headache." Maryse then proceeded to thoroughly massage Magnus' scalp and neck.

Magnus groaned – in pain, at first, as strong fingers relentlessly dug into knots of tension, and then in relief as those slowly melted away.

Maryse rinsed his hair and then repeated the process to make sure she got rid of all the sweat and grease and dead skin cells. She rinsed out the second dose of shampoo and worked a small portion of the moisturizing hair mask into Magnus' hair.

Magnus enjoyed the treatment despite the occasional cough or sneeze and would have purred, had he been a cat.

Next, Maryse retrieved Magnus' skin care products from the cabinet above the sink. She rubbed a mild exfoliating cleansing milk into the skin on his face and washed it off again. Then she covered his face with a sheet mask that, according to the package, would shrink his pores and soothe his skin.

Magnus kept his eyes closed and sighed in contentment. His skin had definitely missed this kind of pampering.

Maryse soaked a washcloth in warm water, added a small amount of fruity-smelling shower gel to it and began to wash Magnus from the neck downward. She was professional and efficient about it, but very thorough.

Magnus blushed darkly, his ears turning red, but managed not to flinch or fidget – barely. Being clean and free of sweat sure felt nice as long as he didn't think about _who_ was washing him.

Maryse removed the sheet mask and rinsed Magnus' hair and body. She then worked a dollop of conditioner into Magnus' hair and rinsed it out again. "I think we are ready to start your bath now."

Magnus, still red-faced, nodded. He also noticed that Maryse didn't look the least bit flushed or flustered. A tiny part of him felt insulted by that. He mentally stomped down on that feeling and decided to be glad about Maryse' professionalism.

Maryse, oblivious to his thoughts, plugged the bathtub drain and turned on the water again. She adjusted the temperature according to Magnus' gestures and then went to the kitchen. There she strained the prepared bath additive through a sieve to remove the needles before she carried it to the bathroom and poured it into the tub.

Magnus relaxed against the wall of the tub as the warm water slowly rose around his body. In spite of himself, he was impressed by Maryse' efficiency. He couldn't be sure without access to a clock, but it didn't feel like washing him had taken longer today than the days before. Nevertheless, she had managed to integrate the greatest part of his usual hair and skin care routine into the process. A caretaker who knew her way around beauty products apparently had her advantages.

Maryse waited until the tub was full enough and then turned off the water. "Now, I can leave you to your bath, if you wish. Or I can try to work the tension out of your facial muscles. Chances are it's as bad as in your scalp and neck."

Magnus blinked. He couldn't feel any tension in his face, but he hadn't felt anything wrong with his neck or scalp either until Maryse had started the massage.

"The more relaxed you are, the more likely you are to fall asleep after your bath."

That sounded sensible. If Magnus had needed convincing, this would have done the trick.

"Do you want the massage?"

Magnus nodded without any hesitation. He wasn't going to pass up another massage!

Maryse squeezed a few drops of the moisturizing serum from Magnus' cabinet onto her fingertips and knelt down next to the tub, behind Magnus' head.

Magnus leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Maryse gently spread the serum all over Magnus' face with her fingertips. Then she began to carefully rub and knead the tension out of the facial muscles. She started at Magnus' forehead and moved on to the spots right under his eyebrows, then to his temples, his cheeks and finally his jaw.

Magnus groaned in pain whenever Maryse' fingertips found another knot of tension and moaned in relief whenever another muscle relaxed. He felt kind of embarrassed for being so vocal but couldn't help himself.

Maryse let the massage trail off into soft stroking motions. "There, that should feel better." She got up and washed and dried her hands. When she returned to the tub, she frowned at Magnus' hands. Or, more precisely, his nails. "Do you want me to do something about those as well?" she asked, gesturing towards his too long nails and chipped nail polish.

Magnus looked at his fingernails and frowned. He'd wanted to do something about the chipped nail polish the day after he'd been to Catarina's but he'd been too sick for it by then. Now, more than a week later, his nails looked even worse. It wouldn't have been his first priority but if Maryse was offering…

"I could do it while you're in the bath. It would be no problem at all, and you were going to stay in the warm water for a while longer anyway, right?" Apparently Maryse thought he needed convincing.

Magnus nodded and lifted his hand from the water. The other hand, the one with the IV, had been resting on the rim of the tub the entire time.

Maryse retrieved Magnus' vast collection of nail care products from one of the bathroom cabinets – after her quick search for the right one, she was reasonably sure her son's things weren't taking up much cabinet space here – and quickly sorted through them. Then she thoroughly removed all traces of the old polish from Magnus' nails. "Just short and smooth is fine, I hope? I don't think we have the time to apply fresh nail polish as well."

Magnus gave her a thumbs-up. As much as he loved nail polish and doing his nails, he always magically sped up the process of applying and drying the different layers – base coat, at least two layers of color, top coat. Since he couldn't use his magic right now, he was more than happy to stick with just a quick manicure. That was already more than he would have ever thought he'd get tonight.

Maryse cleaned under Magnus' fingernails. Then she carefully filed his nails short. She checked for any sharp edges she might have left behind and, finding none, switched to a small wooden stick. After using that to gently push Magnus' cuticles back, she picked up another file.

Magnus closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the rim of the tub and just enjoyed the treatment he was getting. Doing his nails was always soothing and relaxing, but getting his nails done while soaking in a tub of very warm water was even better!

Maryse used the new file to smooth Magnus' nails until no ridges or flaws were left. With the other three sides of the file, she gradually buffed the nails to a glossy shine. When she was satisfied with the way Magnus' nails looked, she gently worked a drop of nail oil into each nail and cuticle. "There, all done. I hope it meets your standards."

It was said with a smile, as Magnus saw when he opened his eyes. He inspected his hands and was impressed with the thorough job. He himself couldn't have done it any better. Certainly not without his magic. Magnus smiled back at Maryse and mouthed "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Maryse let her gaze wander to Magnus' feet, then tested the water temperature with her hand. "Your toenails look kind of long as well. I can take care of that right now, but we'll need to add some more hot water to the tub, or Alec can file those nails short tomorrow night."

Magnus didn't hesitate at all and just lifted one foot from the water. While he was sure Alexander would indeed shorten his toenails if he asked him, he had reason to believe that Maryse had more experience both performing that service for another person and turning it from a necessity into part of a beauty regimen.

Maryse chuckled. "That was a quick decision. You can put your foot down again while I change part of the water."

Magnus obeyed and watched as Maryse pulled the plug from the drain, let part of the water drain from the tub, put the plug back in and added some hot water to the tub. He sighed and enjoyed the renewed warmth.

Maryse retrieved a towel from the towel heater and more supplies from the bathroom cabinets. She crouched down next to the foot end of the bathtub. "Now raise your foot out of the water, please," she told Magnus.

He did and felt her gently pat his skin dry with the towel.

Maryse rested Magnus' ankle on the rim of the tub, cushioned by the folded towel, and carefully clipped his nails short. Next she used a file to smooth the edges, testing the results with her sensitive fingertips. She then gently pushed back the cuticles with a fresh wooden stick. Maryse picked up the four-sided file and smoothed and buffed the nails' surface until it shone.

At that point, Magnus assumed they were done – Maryse had already gone way beyond shortening his toenails after all – and tried to slip his foot back into the water.

But Maryse didn't loosen her grip on his foot. "Are you getting cold?" she asked him, concerned.

Magnus shook his head.

"Then we're not done yet. Unless you want to keep your calluses?"

Magnus shook his head again, more fervently.

"I didn't think so. Now, I don't know how ticklish you are but I'll be able to work that much faster if you don't twitch."

Magnus nodded. He knew that but he also was ticklish. Very. Which meant he'd just have to try really hard to move as little as possible.

Maryse picked up a pumice stone. She used it to gently and carefully remove the calluses from Magnus' foot, despite Magnus' occasional flinching movement. When she was done, she lowered Magnus' foot back into the water and then repeated the whole treatment for his other foot.

Magnus sighed when Maryse let that foot slip back into the water as well. This was heaven!

Maryse picked up the supplies she had used and put them back into the cabinets she had taken them from. She let Magnus stay in the tub until the water had cooled significantly. Then she pulled the plug and waited until most of the water had drained from the tub.

Magnus, a little dazed, opened his eyes and looked at the rapidly disappearing water. He had been _so_ comfortable in the warm water!

"Sorry Magnus. Bath time's over. You need to get to bed, catch some sleep." Maryse placed one of the heated towels on the bathmat before she lifted Magnus from the tub. Then she used another towel to gently pat him dry.

Magnus blushed again when she dried off parts of him that only Alexander got to touch these days. He couldn't help himself.

Maryse ignored his reaction. She wrapped the dry towel around him to keep him warm as she blow-dried his hair. After a quick look at Magnus' supply of skin care products, she applied a special moisturizer to the sensitive skin around his eyes and a rich night cream to the rest of his face.

Magnus enjoyed the gentle care he was receiving. It didn't even matter anymore _who_ was giving him that care. At least, not much.

Maryse applied a generous layer of regenerating hand cream to his hands, leaving out the area around the IV. Then she gently massaged the cream into the skin and put a cotton glove on one hand. "I don't want to risk tugging on the IV so you'll just have to refrain from touching anything for a while with that hand."

Magnus nodded. He wasn't going to take any chances with that.

Next, Maryse fetched Magnus' moisturizing and regenerating foot balm and treated the warlock to a gentle foot massage. She made sure to use enough pressure not to tickle him but not enough to hurt him. Then she put cotton socks on Magnus' feet to keep the balm where it would be of use.

Magnus wriggled his toes and sighed. He happily would have accepted this kind of treatment every night.

Maryse went to the bedroom and returned with Magnus' pajamas which she placed on the towel heater for now. Then she took Magnus' body lotion from the cabinet, unwrapped the towel around the warlock and rubbed the lotion into his skin from neck to ankles.

Magnus didn't even blush anymore at the touch. He simply enjoyed the last stages of what had basically been a full spa treatment.

Maryse helped Magnus put on the pre-heated pajamas and then picked him up again.

Magnus immediately put his arm around Maryse' shoulder and leaned into her. The hot bath was catching up with him now, making him even more tired than he'd already been. Sleep sounded heavenly right now.

Maryse carefully lowered Magnus onto the bed, removed the hot water bottles and pulled the covers up to Magnus' neck.

Magnus leaned back into the pillows, closed his eyes and hummed. The clean, warm sheets felt perfect to him.

Maryse chuckled. "Don't fall asleep yet, Magnus. You still need to take your pills." She went to the kitchen to reheat the bag of grape seeds in the oven and make two cups of tea – Earl Grey for herself and sage for Magnus.

When she entered the bedroom again, a cup of tea in each hand, Magnus was watching her sleepily from half-closed eyes. Maryse placed both cups on the nightstand and opened the two boxes of medication. She removed one pill from each of them, put the pills on the nightstand and packed the boxes away again. "You'll have to wait a bit before the tea has cooled enough for you to take in more than very small sips. I assumed you'd prefer tea over water right now. I'll be right back."

Magnus nodded and relaxed back into the pillows.

Maryse retrieved the warm plushie from the kitchen, returned to the bedroom and reached out for the covers. "Here, let me place this on your stomach so it'll keep you warm while you sleep."

Magnus nodded again, giving permission, and sighed when he felt the warmth radiating from the plushie. This was perfect! He coughed. Well, almost perfect. He sneezed. Okay, maybe not perfect. Rather nice, then.

Maryse picked up her cup of Earl Grey and took a sip. "Mmmh. I think your tea should have the perfect drinking temperature as well." She put her own cup down, picked up the cup of sage tea and looked from the edge of the mattress to Magnus and back with a raised eyebrow.

Magnus interpreted it as a question and nodded.

Maryse smiled and sat down before she lifted the cup to Magnus' lips so he could sip the tea. "How's the temperature? Do you think you can wash down the pills now?"

Magnus nodded again. The tea was still pleasantly warm but not so hot it might burn his mouth or throat.

"Okay, let's do this one at a time," Maryse stated and picked up the codeine.

Magnus opened his mouth to let Maryse place the pill on his tongue. Then he waited for her to lift the cup to his mouth again, took a large sip of tea and swallowed tea and pill together. They repeated the process for the antimycotic.

Once they'd both finished their tea, Maryse placed the empty cups on the nightstand and looked back at Magnus. "Do you need anything else before you go to sleep?"

Magnus nodded. Since he didn't have the writing pad within reach he just aimed a significant look at the bathroom door. If the codeine really made it possible for him to fall asleep, he wasn't going to risk cutting his rest short by urgently needing a trip to the bathroom in an hour or two.

Maryse caught on quickly. She stood up, folded back the covers, helped Magnus scoot to the edge of the bed and pulled the covers back up to preserve the warmth in the sheets. Maryse helped Magnus to the bathroom and returned him to the bed where she gently tucked him in.

Magnus snuggled into the pillows.

"Now, I will switch off all lights but the night light. Then I can either leave the room or stay with you until you fall asleep. Do you want me to leave?"

Magnus hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. He didn't want to be alone right now. If anyone had told him a week ago that he was going to ask _Maryse Lightwood_ to sit by his bedside as he was trying to fall asleep he would have declared them completely insane. How quickly things could change…

Maryse turned off all lights save the night light and then sat down on the edge of the mattress again. "Alright, then I will stay until I'm sure you're fast asleep. Don't worry if you wake up later and I'm not in the room. I will check in on Alec again and also see if there are other things I can help with while I'm here."

Magnus smiled gratefully at Maryse and closed his eyes.

Maryse reached out to brush a stray stand of hair off Magnus' forehead.

Magnus automatically leaned into the touch until his mind caught up with his body and made him pull back a little.

Maryse immediately drew her hand back slightly. "Magnus? Did I overstep any boundaries? If so, I apologize. It's just – every single ill person I've taken care of felt comforted and soothed when I stroked their hair. I should have considered you might feel differently."

Magnus shook his head, then nodded, then groaned in frustration. He couldn't explain this without words. It was too complicated for that.

Maryse seemed to understand because she reached out for the writing pad and pen and handed both to Magnus.

He immediately started to write. _I didn't expect it and was startled. It felt nice. I wouldn't be opposed to a repetition._

Maryse read the message and smiled at Magnus. "Alright. Then let's try this again." She placed the writing materials on the nightstand.

Magnus closed his eyes and waited.

"Relax, Magnus. I'm not gonna bite you."

That made Magnus grin and take a deep breath.

Maryse reached out again and brushed Magnus' hair back. When he didn't complain, she began to sing a lullaby while still stroking his head.

Magnus relaxed further and sighed. This was nice. Now if he just could stop coughing for long enough to fall asleep… After a while, the effects of the codeine finally kicked in. Or at least he assumed the reduced pain and coughing as well as the fuzzy, sluggish feeling in his mind were due to the mundane painkiller.


	15. Chapter 15

_Day 8_

Maryse kept singing and stroking until Magnus' regular breathing and relaxed features showed that he had fallen asleep. Then she watched in silence a bit longer to make sure Magnus would actually stay asleep before she switched on the Magnus Monitor, picked up the receiver and the empty cups and quietly padded to the kitchen barefoot. She placed the empty cups in the sink and then opened the fridge.

The contents brought a frown to her face. Someone needed to do some serious grocery shopping here. Grabbing pen and paper, she quickly wrote an urgent missive to Izzy and used her stele to send it. Since it would take her daughter a while to shop for and bring by the supplies, she decided to check on Alec.

Poking her head into the guest bedroom, she immediately saw her son was still fast asleep. That worried her slightly. For Alec to sleep this long – it was almost two in the morning – he had to have been completely exhausted, bone-deep tired when she arrived. She didn't like that Alec paid so little attention to his own well-being.

Maryse closed the door to the guest bedroom again noiselessly and returned to the kitchen. She took in the general state of the room and set to work. First, she did the dishes. Then she removed the meager contents of the fridge and thoroughly scrubbed the inside of said appliance. The oven was next.

It had to be nice to be able to do all the cleaning with a bit of hand-waving and sparkling magic, Maryse mused. On the other hand, doing it by hand wasn't all that bad either. She had more than enough experience with housework to have developed an efficient routine.

She was done with the microwave, the sink, the counters and the table and busy mopping the floor when she was interrupted.

"Mom?"

Maryse turned around at the sound of her daughter's voice.

"What are you—"

Maryse cut her off by pressing a finger to her own lips. "Keep your voice down, Isabelle. Alec and Magnus are asleep," she whispered.

Izzy, who was standing in the doorway with a shopping bag in each hand, gave her an incredulous look but repeated in a hushed voice: "What are you doing here, Mom?"

Maryse waved the mop around slightly, careful not to hit anything. "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're cleaning. In Magnus' apartment! _At three in the morning! BAREFOOT!"_ Izzy wasn't quite sure whether she might actually be hallucinating. Or having a very vivid dream of her mother waking her up at about two in the morning with a fire message to send her shopping while she herself was cleaning Magnus' apartment… Izzy shook her head in an attempt to clear it.

Maryse shrugged and returned to mopping the floor. "It was necessary, both Alec and Magnus are fast asleep and I had the time. Heels would make too much noise. What does the time have to do with it, though?"

Izzy shot her mother another incredulous look. "What does – _normal_ people – unless on duty – are asleep at this time. Like I was, until a fire message dropped onto my face!"

Maryse looked her over without interrupting her work. "You'll probably live. Your brother, on the other hand, was practically dead on his feet from exhaustion when I got here, keeping himself awake and functioning through frequent applications of his Caffeine and Nourishment runes. I was going to cook something for him for when he wakes, but there isn't much in the fridge. So yes, Isabelle, I woke you from your beauty sleep to help your brother. I expect you to take some of the load off his shoulders until Magnus is well again. Because that's what family's for. We take care of each other. Now, did you get everything I asked for?"

Izzy was shocked. "What are you talking about? Alec would have told—" she cut herself off, reconsidering. Actually, she realized, Alec would _not_ have told her or Jace. Her brother would have considered it his duty as Magnus' boyfriend to take care of the warlock himself. Even if it meant working until all the runes in the world wouldn't be able to keep him from dropping unconscious.

And she, as his sister, should have known that and acted accordingly. Chagrined, she looked at her mother. "You're right, Mom. I'm sorry. Jace and I will take better care of our family from now on."

Maryse was relieved to see her daughter understood. She placed mop and bucket in a corner, out of the way. Then she went to her daughter and hugged her. "Good. Thank you for going shopping for me."

Izzy couldn't hug her mother back because she still held the shopping bags, so she kissed Maryse' cheek. "You're welcome. What do you need all this for? We went grocery shopping for Alec several times. Is it all gone already?"

Maryse drew back and scowled. "If you just want a sandwich, the contents of the fridge are fine. I, however, want to cook stew for Alec so he can actually have a warm meal at least once a day."

"I'd offer to help but…" Izzy trailed off. Her inability to cook anything edible was well-known in her family, after all.

"You can help me chop the vegetables," Maryse informed her. "I have confidence in your ability to handle a knife without causing any accidents. Let me just finish the floor first."

Since Maryse had been almost done already, Izzy didn't have to wait long. The floor was dry again within minutes. They carried the shopping bags to the counters, unpacked the contents, retrieved bowls, sieves, cutting boards and knives and started washing, peeling, chopping and dicing.

*

Alec woke slowly, covers pulled up to his chin. The room was completely dark, so it was probably close to eight already. He felt well rested and decided not to wait for his mother to come and wake him. Even she would have to admit that those few hours had been enough to bring him back to full strength.

Stretching, Alec groaned. Damn his mother for being right again, but that bit of rest had really made a difference. He felt ready to take on the whole world!

He got out of bed and went to relieve himself and splash some water on his face. Upon reentering the bedroom he glanced at the bedside clock to see if he had time to get dressed before his mother was supposed to show up. 3:42 am He blinked. Rubbed his eyes. The numbers didn't change.

His mother hadn't come to wake him! They'd had a deal and she'd broken it. Alec would never have imagined his mother would do that!

Barefoot, wearing just his pajama pants, he walked out of the guest bedroom and headed for the master bedroom to check in on Magnus and give his mother a piece of his mind. The sound of hushed voices made him take a detour to the kitchen.

His jaw dropped at the sight that greeted him there: his mother and his sister sitting at the kitchen table, talking quietly while Maryse was finely dicing onions and Izzy was cutting carrots into bite-sized chunks.

"What in the name of the Angel—" Alec started to say, only to be interrupted by both Maryse and Izzy pressing a finger to their lips and making a shushing sound.

"Magnus is asleep," Maryse added.

Alec scowled but tried again, in a whisper. "What in Raziel's name is going on here? We had a deal, Mom!"

Maryse' eyebrows rose. "And I was at your bedside at 8 pm sharp, trying to wake you. I called your name, I shook you, but you slept on."

Disbelief showed on Alec's face. He hadn't been _that_ tired. He also never slept so deeply he didn't wake to touch or sound!

Before he could say anything to that effect, Izzy put down the knife and stood up. "Talking about sleeping, big brother: Why didn't you call me or Jace when you got so tired you needed runes to stay on your feet? We would have taken over for a few hours any time."

"It wasn't necessary, Iz, I—" Alec's gaze shifted to the kitchen table. "What are you doing he—" He glanced over at his mother. "I never sleep that deeply. I— wait, what about Magnus? He didn't get his examinations or the evening saline. What about his inhalation treatment? I have to get to Magnus!" He was turning around when his mother's next words stopped him short.

"I took care of Magnus. He's fine. He's asleep."

Alec spun on his heel to face Maryse again, a doubtful look on his face. "You took care of Magnus?"

His mother nodded.

"You took his temperature?"

Maryse nodded again.

"And you checked his blood sugar?

Another nod.

"What about a stool sample? Izzy needs stool samples twice a day. Magnus gets a bag of saline every evening, did you—"

Maryse held up one hand to stop her son's babbling. "I took Magnus' temperature, checked his blood sugar and wrote down the results in your notebook. I took and labeled a stool sample, attached a saline bag to Magnus' IV, supplied him with tea and kept him company until the bag was empty. Magnus did his inhalation treatment and I changed the sheets and aired the bedroom. Magnus brushed his teeth, I washed him head to toes, shortened his finger- and toenails, let him soak in the tub. Afterwards I made sure to moisturize his skin again, tucked him into bed, brought him another cup of tea and had him take his medication. Then I sat with him until he fell asleep. The Magnus Monitor is on, and Magnus knows I will be right there by his side the moment he makes some kind of noise. You really can stop worrying, Alec. Take a deep breath and calm down."

Alec's eyes had gone larger and his cheeks flushed more with every word. By the end of his mother's monologue he was slack-jawed and speechless. The silence stretched into minutes.

"Did I forget something? Alec?" Maryse' words sounded more challenging than concerned.

Alec swallowed. "No," he croaked. He cleared his throat. "No, I don't think you forgot anything. How—? Why—? Magnus didn't want—" Alec had trouble focusing his thoughts enough to actually finish a question.

Maryse took pity on him. "Magnus changed his mind once he realized just how tired you were. I offered to use drastic measures to honor our deal and wake you but Magnus agreed that you needed your sleep. We figured the rest out together." When it looked like Alec was going to head to the master bedroom right away, she added. "Magnus fell asleep a little over two hours ago. The codeine helped. Now, why don't you go get dressed and then keep Isabelle and me company in the kitchen until Magnus wakes up?"

Alec looked down his body from his naked torso to his pajama pants to his bare feet. His mother kind of had a point. Which still left one question… "What exactly are you doing with all this?" He gestured towards the vegetables on the kitchen table.

Maryse' eyebrows rose and she gave her son a look that clearly said _isn't it obvious?_ "I'm making some stew for you. It isn't healthy to eat nothing but sandwiches. Don't worry. Isabelle is only chopping ingredients. _I_ will be doing the actual cooking."

Alec nodded and started to turn around when he thought of something else. "Wait. Iz, when did you arrive? I thought you'd come by in the morning? Did you discover something else in the samples?"

"No, I didn't. Mom sent me shopping about two hours ago when she realized your fridge lacked the ingredients for her stew." Izzy returned to the table and continued chopping the carrots.

Alec needed a moment to process that bit of information. Then he frowned. "So Mom woke you?" When his sister nodded without taking her eyes from her task, he turned to face his mother. "Why would you do that? Izzy needs her rest. She's on duty during the day _and_ she's the one doing research on this disease—"

His mother interrupted him. "And _you_ need a hot meal to keep your strength up so you can take care of Magnus. Isabelle will manage. Now go get dressed."

*

Alec scowled but returned to the guest bedroom to dress in clean clothes. Then he walked into the kitchen and patted Izzy's shoulder. "All right, Iz. Thank you for your help. I can take over now, and there's an empty bed in the guest room waiting for you. Catch some sleep and I'll wake you for breakfast."

Izzy looked up at him. "Are you sure? Helping out's no problem, really."

Alec smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "And I appreciate that. I seriously doubt Mom will let me go to Magnus, though, for fear of me waking him." He ignored his mother's muttered "She won't!" and went on. "Since I already slept longer than I normally do in a night, I'm good. Now it's your turn."

Izzy smiled back at her brother and didn't hesitate any longer. She put the knife down, stood up and walked to the guest bedroom.

As soon as Izzy was out of view, Maryse gestured to the cutting board her daughter had abandoned. "Well, start chopping then, Alec."

"Yes, ma'am," Alec said with a little salute before he sat down, picked up the knife and continued where Izzy had left off.

Maryse returned to dicing the onions. "Jace called earlier. The mission was a complete success, all the demons are banished, and there were no casualties among our people or the mundanes. I wrote down more detailed information for you and left it on your nightstand together with your phone. You can take a look at it and call Jace back once Magnus is awake."

Alec hesitated a moment. He was tempted to go to the master bedroom right away and retrieve his phone and the information. He wanted, no as Head of Institute he _needed_ to know every detail about the mission. That was part of the job description after all. Unfortunately, he knew from personal experience that his mother wouldn't relent, and he also knew she was right about Magnus needing to get as much sleep as possible while the mundane medicine was still suppressing the cough. Since his mother had been Head of the New York Institute for years he had to trust that she knew what kind of information warranted waking someone who desperately needed the sleep – and what didn't.

Besides, Jace probably wouldn't exactly thank him if he woke him at four in the morning. His _parabatai_ had planned and executed the mission and was most likely pretty tired as well.

So Alec clamped down on the urge to read the information right away and instead concentrated on his mother and the carrots. They worked in silence for a little while before Alec spoke up again. "Thank you, Mom. For helping me take care of Magnus, sacrificing the bit of free time before your mission."

Maryse shook her head. "Alec, it's not a sacrifice. I came to New York to spend time with my children. I met Jace and Isabelle at the Institute and talked to them but it turned out that right now you needed me the most. So here I am."

Alec gave his mother a grateful smile and worked on quietly.

*

It took them about half an hour to prepare all the ingredients. There still was no sound from the master bedroom.

Alec let his gaze sweep across the kitchen table. "What do we do now?" he asked his mother.

Maryse smiled at him. "Now _I_ start cooking and _you_ prepare a sandwich for yourself and eat it. It's been hours since the last time you ate, you need to keep your strength up and the stew won't be ready for another three hours or so."

Alec opened his mouth to protest and closed it again. The set of his mother's jaw as well as the determination in her eyes told him that arguing would be futile.

Maryse watched her son get up and peruse the contents of the fridge, trying to decide what to put on the sandwich. "And pour yourself something to drink, Alec."

Alec, his face shielded from his mother's view by the open fridge door, rolled his eyes but obeyed. He wasn't five years old anymore. He knew he needed to keep his fluid levels up! He made two sandwiches and held one out to his mother who was currently searing chunks of beef in a large pot. "I bet it's been hours since you ate, too. You are going on a mission later today. You need the energy."

Maryse took the sandwich in one hand, using the spatula in her other hand to gently turn the pieces of meat from time to time. "Thank you, Alec."

"You're welcome." Alec poured a second large glass of orange juice and placed it on a counter in his mother's reach as he took a sip from his own.

Maryse switched between bites of the sandwich and sips of the juice, always keeping an eye on the meat in the pot.

Alec finished his own sandwich and leaned against the counter, glass of juice in his hand. "So, how is Max, Mom? You said he is in good hands with the Silent Brothers but can they actually help him recover? What are the options?"

Maryse swallowed her mouthful of sandwich before she replied. "The Silent Brothers can't tell yet whether he'll make a full recovery but they are doing everything they can. Right now he still has trouble with his balance and is dragging his left leg. Even small amounts of physical exercise lead to fierce headaches. That might all go away given enough time but all or some of it might also be permanent. There is no way to know."

Alec swallowed, hard. If the damage was permanent, there was no chance Max would be declared fit for active duty. His little brother had been so eager to be considered a full Shadowhunter and to be allowed to go on missions. That eagerness had led to his injury – and might now take away Max' dream. "How is Max dealing with it?"

His mother gave him a strained smile. "I'm afraid he's rather pessimistic about the outcome. It is very difficult for him."

That was probably an understatement. Alec knew his little brother well, after all. He reached out to rest a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Tell me if there's anything I can do to help."

Maryse grasped his hand with her own and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you, Alec. Right now, all we can do is wait. Your father spends time with Max every day, keeping him company, trying to improve his mood."

Alec, in his mind, wished his father luck. He'd need it. After another sip of juice he changed the topic. "So, what is this mission they're sending you on? Where are you headed?"

"Portland, Oregon."

"Portland, Oregon?" Alec repeated. "Why is the Clave sending _you_ there? Shouldn't the Los Angeles Institute take care of any issues there?"

Maryse sighed. "Yes, they should. They didn't, though. The Clave found out recently that there have been strange occurrences in Portland for _years_ – mysterious deaths, mundane bodies with suspicious mutilations, weird rumors – and our fellow Shadowhunters in Los Angeles apparently didn't consider it worth the effort to send a team that far north."

Her face showed clearly what she thought of that. "So now the Clave has put me in charge of a reconnaissance mission. Edward Windrider and I will head out from the New York Institute in the early afternoon and meet up with two Shadowhunters from the Los Angeles Institute in Salem. There we will set up camp in a Clave-owned house that has all the necessary equipment and wards. We will monitor the situation in Portland, report back at regular intervals and intervene in the manner the Clave deems best. Since I have no idea how long this mission will take, I decided to pay my children a visit beforehand."

Alec shook his head at the kind of stupidity it took to ignore suspicious events for this long. "I have no idea what that Head of Institute was thinking they were doing, but I'm glad that the Clave entrusted you with this mission. You will get to the bottom of this. If there is anything I or the New York Institute can help you with, just let me now."

Maryse smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Alec. I appreciate it." She most probably wasn't going to have to make that call, but one never knew.

They spent a bit more than an hour while Maryse was continuing her work on the stew talking – about friends in Idris, the New York Institute,…

Once the stew was simmering in the covered pot, Maryse turned towards Alec. "This needs to stew for about two hours now. Would you care for a practice fight or two? Make sure you stay in shape while you're away from the Institute?"

Before Alec could answer, they both heard a knocking sound from the receiver of the Magnus monitor, followed by a cough. Alec immediately made his way to the master bedroom, his mother on his heels, receiver in her hand.


	16. Chapter 16

When Alec entered the bedroom, the dim orange glow of the night light showed him Magnus, sitting against the pillows and blinking sleepily.

As soon as Magnus' brain registered Alec's presence, he smiled. He picked up the writing pad and pen, wrote something and then held the pad out to his boyfriend.

Alec switched on the bedside lamp so he could read the message.

_Did you finally wake up from your enchanted sleep? I hope you slept well, at least._

Alec looked contrite and apologetic. "I'm sorry, Magnus. I said I'd get up for your evening examinations and bath, and I should have woken up, and—" He broke off when he saw his boyfriend resolutely shake his head.

Magnus drew the writing pad closer and hastily scribbled another message for Alec.

 _It's fine. You needed the sleep. It was_ my _decision not to have Maryse wake you anyway._

Alec looked from Magnus to his mother.

Maryse, who had stayed near the door and hadn't seen the messages, raised an eyebrow in question. "What is it, Alec?"

"Nothing," Alec claimed. He wasn't going to question his boyfriend's word in front of his mother. As much trouble as he had trying to wrap his mind around Magnus letting Maryse take his temperature, give him a bath, put him to bed and so on, he could absolutely picture Magnus insisting on letting him sleep. His boyfriend was always trying to take care of him.

Alec leaned in to kiss Magnus' cheek. "Thank you. I guess I really was more tired than I thought." He turned around to face his mother. "Thank you for helping us, Mom."

Maryse smiled at both of them. "You're welcome."

Magnus was meanwhile writing down another message on a fresh sheet of paper. _Your mother is wasted as a Shadowhunter. She should open a spa._

Alec blushed and sputtered as he read the words. What exactly had his mother done with Magnus?

"What's Magnus saying?" Maryse asked curiously.

Alec blushed an even darker shade of red and shook his head mutely. He most definitely wasn't going to be the one to tell his mother and cause an explosion!

Maryse waited, but when it was obvious she wasn't going to get an answer from her son, she gave Magnus a questioning look.

He handed her the writing pad without any hesitation.

Alec swallowed and braced himself for the outburst he was sure would follow. Any moment now, any second his mother would start – _laughing_? He stared at her, not trusting his eyes.

Maryse was, indeed, laughing as she handed the writing pad back to Magnus. "But I'm really good at being a Shadowhunter, Magnus. If I were to open a spa I'd be wasting those talents, wouldn't I?"

Magnus immediately wrote down another message. _You could open a spa after you retire from the field. I'd help you organize the grand opening party._

Maryse threw her head back, still laughing. "I'm not making any promises, Magnus, but if I ever actually open a spa I wouldn't even dream of asking anyone else to help with the party."

 _I'll hold you to it._ Magnus was smiling widely.

Alec was looking from his mother to Magnus and back, slack-jawed and open-mouthed. He pinched the leg facing away from his mother and his boyfriend, hard, and almost yelped. Well, he was definitely awake. That, to him, still didn't explain his mother's reaction to Magnus' suggestion.

When Maryse turned around and saw Alec, she chuckled. "Close your mouth, Alec. Is it _that_ unbelievable for you that Magnus and I are getting along?"

"What? No, it's—" Alec broke off, not sure how to voice his thoughts.

"You're surprised I actually have a sense of humor?"

Alec blushed. "No!" Okay, maybe he shouldn't have replied quite this quickly. "I just… I didn't think your reaction to someone saying you'd be better suited to not being a Shadowhunter would be laughter."

Maryse sighed. "I'm sorry if that is the impression I gave you of me, Alec. Of course I wouldn't appreciate being told I'm a bad Shadowhunter. That is not what Magnus said, though. Magnus actually complimented me on other talents I have." She smiled at Magnus, who nodded.

Alec still wasn't sure what to think of the situation. "Oh… um… okay. Why does Magnus think you should open a spa, though?"

Magnus spread his arms in an _Isn't it obvious?_ kind of gesture. When that only earned him an uncomprehending look from his boyfriend, he brushed one hand through his hair, showing off the extra gloss the hair mask had given it. Then he held out both his hands toward Alexander palms-down, fingers spread.

Alec watched intently. "She did something with your hair. It looks different than the times I washed it for you." He sounded hesitant, unsure. "And she cut your fingernails. She removed the nail polish as well. She also did something to make your nails all shiny."

Maryse chuckled. "That _something_ I did is called a manicure, Alec. Your nails could benefit from one as well."

Alec looked at his nails. They were slightly too long right now because he hadn't had the time to cut them in over a week, but at least they were clean. The nail surface showed the same slight ridges it had always had. "How did you make Magnus' nails so smooth?"

"With a special file. I can show you, but first we should ask Magnus if there's anything he needs."

Alec blushed at his mother's reminder and turned to face Magnus again. "Of course. Magnus, is there something we can do for you?"

Magnus, who had followed their exchange in silence, nodded and started writing again. _Bathroom. Tea. Reheat owl. More sleep._

Alec read the message, then reread it. He'd never had any trouble deciphering his boyfriend's handwriting before, but this didn't make sense. "Magnus? What's the third request? It looks like ‘Reheat owl' but that can't be right."

Maryse laughed and helped Magnus retrieve the plushie from under the covers. "He means he wants us to reheat the bag of grape seeds that's inside. Grape seeds stay warm longer than water does, and while the owl is in contact with Magnus' body the grape seeds don't drop below Magnus' body temperature. You and your siblings always preferred these plushies to hot water bottles."

Alec took the owl and kneaded it slightly between his hands. "I remember now," he said slowly. "Mine was a black-and-white cat. I called it Mr. Whiskers." He blushed but gestured towards the colorful owl. "This one suits you, Magnus. Did you name it yet?"

Magnus shook his head slowly, his mind already working on a name. _Hoot Chi Minh_ , he finally wrote.

Maryse and Alec laughed.

"That's a big name for such a small owl," Maryse stated. "Now, why don't I go to the kitchen to reheat the bag of grape seeds and make fresh tea while you take Magnus to the bathroom?" she asked her son.

Alec nodded and picked Magnus up from the bed.

Maryse watched her son carry his boyfriend to the bathroom and then took the bag of grape seeds to the kitchen. After putting the bag in the oven to reheat, she stirred the stew, covered the pot again and used another one to boil water for tea.

*

When she returned to the bedroom, a cup of elderflower tea in one hand and the bag of grape seeds in the other, Magnus was already back in bed and leaning against the pillows, with Alec sitting on the edge of the mattress and holding his boyfriend's hand.

Maryse put the cup down on the nightstand and handed the cloth bag to Alec who put it into the owl plushie and placed it on Magnus' stomach.

Magnus sighed contentedly.

Maryse held out the jar of herbal balm to Alec. At his questioning look, she explained: "Take a bit and massage it into his chest. The essential oils will help him breathe more easily."

Alec took the jar, unscrewed the lid and carefully sniffed the contents. "This smells familiar," he concluded.

"Of course it does," Maryse replied. "I used it every time you, your siblings or your father had a cold. At least until you were old enough to go on missions and decided it was unmanly to ask your mother for help with the symptoms of something as insignificant as that."

Alec blushed again. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Maryse shook her head. "There's no need for that, Alec. Children need to go their own way at some point. It's part of growing up. If you try to hold on too tightly, you risk them running so far they never find their way back."

Getting up, Alec hugged his mother. "That will never happen, Mom. We're a family, and we stick together." He pulled back a little. "Do you think you could give me the recipe of that balm?"

Maryse chuckled. "It's a family recipe, and I already promised Magnus a copy, so of course I will give you one as well."

"Thank you." Alec let go of his mother and sat back down. When he reached out to unbutton Magnus' pajama top, his mother cleared her throat.

"I'll leave the two of you to it. If you need anything, you'll find me in the kitchen."

Magnus waved at Maryse who smiled, waved back and left the room.

Alec opened the top three buttons of Magnus' pajama and pushed the fabric apart. Then he picked up the open jar, scooped out some balm and started to gently rub it into his boyfriend's chest.

Magnus sighed. Where Maryse' touch had been efficient, Alexander's was a loving caress. He closed his eyes and pushed out his chest a bit to encourage his boyfriend.

Alec hesitated. He knew Magnus' body language, knew what his boyfriend was suggesting. There was just one _tiny_ problem with that. "My mother is in the other room!" he hissed. "Besides, you are ill and need to rest."

Magnus raised an eyebrow and grabbed the writing pad and pen. _It feels good. It will make me_ very _relaxed. Why do you think your mother decided to give us some privacy right now?_

"Because she has a pot of stew on the stove. She's cooking for me." Alec made sure to keep his voice down since he didn't want to risk his mother overhearing what they were talking about. He'd never hear the end of it!

Magnus rolled his eyes and hastily scribbled another message. _It's called a stew because it needs to stew. A stew doesn't need a babysitter. Maryse is deliberately giving us privacy. We should use it._ He took hold of Alexander's hand on his chest with one of his own hands and tried to direct it towards his nipple.

Alec went along with it for a moment, enjoying the feeling of silky skin under his fingers before he tensed. He pulled his hand away from his boyfriend's chest. "Magnus, I… I can't. My Mom might hear us. I just can't."

Magnus sighed and started writing again. _Alexander, love, your mother gave birth to three children. She_ knows _what couples do in the bedroom._

Alec blushed. He didn't really want to think about his mother having sex. He most certainly didn't want to think about his mother thinking he was having sex with Magnus right now. As much as he loved and wanted Magnus, he just couldn't forget about his mother in the kitchen.

Magnus watched the emotions play across Alexander's face. Then he wrote down one more message. _It's fine, Alexander. Will you hold me until I fall asleep?_

Alec's expression brightened as he read. "Of course!" He wiped his hand clean of balm with a tissue, screwed the jar shut and buttoned up Magnus' pajama. Then he climbed into bed next to Magnus, pulled the covers up over both of them and drew his boyfriend closer. "I love you."

Magnus leaned his head against Alexander's shoulder and closed his eyes.

*

Maryse checked on the stew and was satisfied that it was still gently simmering. It was too early to sample it and refine it with herbs and spices, so she cleaned up the kitchen again instead, doing the dishes and scrubbing the surfaces.

When she was done with that and Alec hadn't returned yet, she started dusting the living room. Maryse was halfway done with the room when the door to the master bedroom finally opened and a sleepy-looking Alec walked out, clothes a little rumpled and receiver in his hand.

Alec shut the door behind him with a click and turned to go to the kitchen. When he saw his mother in the living room, he stopped short. "Magnus didn't want to fall asleep alone," he blurted, blushing.

Maryse regarded him with a knowing smile. "I was starting to think you were going to stay in there ‘til breakfast," she teased. Not wanting to pry into her son's love life any further, she immediately changed the subject. "Now, were you serious about wanting to know about manicures?"

Alec's blush darkened. His mother seemed to truly think he and Magnus… "Mom, I… we didn't… Magnus… I just held him until he fell asleep!"

"Alec, you don't owe me any explanation. What you do or don't do with your boyfriend in your bedroom is none of my business." Maryse, remembering her own youth, had trouble keeping the amusement out of her voice. Apparently, some things didn't change from generation to generation. "And frankly, I'd prefer not to hear any details."

Alec could feel his face radiate heat. He swallowed, then cleared his throat. "Duly noted. I don't know about the manicures, though. I mean—" He hesitated. "Magnus seemed impressed with the way you took care of him. I'd like to know what you did differently. Maybe I can improve my skills."

Maryse smiled at her son. "Well, in that case I'll get the supplies and then we can compare notes." When Alec opened his mouth to protest, she shushed him with a gesture. "I will activate my Nyx rune and tiptoe through the bedroom. Magnus won't even know I'm there."

Alec relaxed slightly and nodded. He trusted his mother, and he knew she was a highly capable Shadowhunter. If she said she could get the supplies from the bathroom without disturbing Magnus' sleep then she could do it. Then he tensed again as a thought hit him. "Wait. _I_ could have used my Nyx rune earlier to get my phone and the notes. You didn't let me!"

"And would you have been able to keep from sitting down on the edge of the bed and stroking your boyfriend's hair and muttering his name, Alec?"

Alec wanted to reply that of course he would have stayed on track but closed his mouth again. He'd been so worried about Magnus. Would he have been able to just walk by his sleeping boyfriend and out of the room again without seeking any kind of contact – contact that might have been enough to disturb Magnus' sleep?

His mother read the answer in his expression. "I didn't think so. Now, I promise not to linger in the bedroom as I get the supplies."

Maryse waited for Alec to nod before she retrieved a bag from the kitchen, activated her Nyx rune and vanished into the darkness of the master bedroom. When she reemerged a short time later, it was bulging with supplies.

Alec watched his mother unpack and arrange the contents on the living room table in groups. Those were _a lot_ of supplies. Alec didn't remember seeing about half of them ever before and wasn't sure about the exact purpose of three quarters of the rest. He cleared his throat. "You used all of this?"

Maryse looked up at him from her position crouching next to the table, one eyebrow raised. "Yes. Why don't we start by you telling me which products you use when you take care of Magnus?"

Alec pointed out the few basic products he knew what to do with.

The small collection of beauty care products her son had shown her made one thing very clear to Maryse: Dating Magnus hadn't yet managed to change the fact that her son was pretty clueless concerning any kind of beauty regimen. With an internal sigh, she set out to rectify that situation.

Alec felt rather floored as he listened to his mother's explanations about cleansing solutions, exfoliations, serums and so on. When his mother told him to sit down and lean back so she could demonstrate a proper facial massage, he hesitated.

"Alec, your skin won't mind the bit of extra nourishment and a facial massage is something very enjoyable. If Magnus weren't asleep right now, he'd confirm that."

Alec, still looking doubtful, sat down, relaxed against the couch, tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Less than two minutes later, he was sure that _everyone_ should get regular facial massages.

Maryse gave her son a knowing look when she was done and then proceeded to introduce him to the finer points of hair and skin care. She was surprised at the amount of interest her son was showing, asking questions and taking extensive notes. His patience for the subject was unexpected as well. He was almost treating this like preparations for an important mission.

Alec was furiously scribbling notes in the knowledge that he'd never be able to remember all of his mother's lesson otherwise. After all those complicated skin care instructions, her step-by-step explanation of a proper manicure sounded almost easy. At least it did so at first, until she started talking about nail oil and nail polishes. When she asked him to hold out his hand for the practical part of the lesson, he balked.

Maryse sighed. "Look, Alec, I would use my own nails to show you but since I'm going on a mission later today I did my nails yesterday." To prove her point, she held out both her hands to show off perfectly shaped and smoothed glossy nails. "A good manicure takes practice, and I can promise you that Magnus won't let you anywhere near his nails until you've proven you know what you're doing."

Unfortunately, Alec had to admit that his mother had a point there. That led to his fingernails being shortened, smoothed and covered with midnight black nail polish. There was a very noticeable difference in the quality of work between the nails his mother had demonstrated the procedures on and the ones he had used to try out his newly gained knowledge. The waiting time between applying layers of nail polish was _annoying_ , though!

Maryse felt quite sure that Alec wasn't going to be allowed to do Magnus' nails anytime soon. While her son was a superb archer, expert fighter and great leader, he hadn't shown a particular talent for manicures. She almost smirked as she imagined his reaction to the last lesson for today: pedicures.

*

Some time later, Alec rubbed his palm across the heel of one foot repeatedly, barely believing how soft the skin felt there. There might be some merit to investing a bit more time into taking care of oneself.

As Alec checked the time and saw that it was almost 8 am, Maryse went to the kitchen to finish her stew. She sampled it, added some herbs and spices, tried it again and repeated the process until the result met her expectations.

Alec meanwhile put all the beauty products back into the bag but decided to leave them in the living room until Magnus was awake again.

Maryse was busy ladling the stew into plastic containers and labeling them meticulously when Alec entered the kitchen. She turned around to face her son. "The stew is done. Please go wake your sister and ask her whether she'd like scrambled eggs for breakfast. I'm going to make them as soon as I've put the stew away."

Alec walked to the stove instead, grabbed a spoon, scooped up a small portion of stew and gently blew on it before he ate it. "Mmh," he hummed as he chewed. Once he'd swallowed, he smiled at his mother who was mock-glaring at him with her hands on her hips. "It tastes great, Mom. Thank you."

Maryse shook her head, a fond look on her face. "Off with you. Go wake your sister. She has earned her breakfast today."

Alec sketched a lazy salute and walked towards the guest bedroom. As he passed his mother, he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

Maryse smiled and lightly shoved her son towards the guest bedroom. Then she finished portioning the stew and stowed half of the containers in the freezer and the other half in the fridge.

*

Alec knocked softly on the guest bedroom's door and was surprised to hear his sister call out for him to enter. He slipped through the door and saw Izzy sitting against the headboard, smartphone in hand. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

Izzy shrugged. "I woke up at the time my alarm would usually go off, so I decided to get a head start with today's work."

Alec grinned at her. "And you're doing it in here so Mom can't send you back to bed?" He chuckled at the look his sister gave him. "Well, you can come out now. Mom is making breakfast and wants to know whether you'd like some scrambled eggs."

Izzy immediately pocketed her smartphone and combed her fingers through her hair. "Of course I want Mom's scrambled eggs!" As she got up, she noticed the addition to her brother's fingernails and grinned. "So, big brother, did you exploit the fact that Magnus is fast asleep and raided his supply of nail polish?"

Alec blushed and was tempted for a brief moment to hide his hands behind his back. His fingers twitched, but he managed to leave his arms hanging by his side. "It's… Mom taught me. Now I can take better care of Magnus."

Izzy smirked. "Your warlock has you wrapped around his finger, Alec. If anyone had told me three months ago that my big brother was going to learn to apply nail polish, even wear nail polish himself, I would have declared them insane and sent them to the Silent Brothers for treatment."

Alec gave her a rueful grin. "If they had told me that three months ago I would have shipped them off to the Silent City myself. Is it too weird?" He inspected his smooth black fingernails.

"It is weird." Izzy moved forward and embraced him. "But it's the good kind of weird. I am so very glad that Magnus and you found each other."

Alec hugged his sister back fiercely. "So am I, Iz. So am I." After a moment, he leaned back and pushed his sister away slightly. "We should go to the kitchen before Mom decides to come looking for us."

Izzy nodded and followed her brother out of the room.

*

When they entered the kitchen, their mother had already set the table for three. A basket with slices of bread, a small plate with a stick of butter on it and a pitcher of juice were already on the table.

Maryse didn't look up from the bowl she was cracking eggs into. "Good morning, Isabelle. Are you ready for breakfast?"

"I'm famished, actually." Izzy knew better than to offer her help making breakfast. Instead, she poured three glasses of orange juice.

The three of them spent breakfast talking about Magnus as well as Maryse' upcoming mission.


	17. Chapter 17

Once they had finished breakfast, Maryse offered to do the dishes again so Alec and Izzy could go check in on Magnus.

Alec entered the bedroom first and saw that Magnus was still asleep.

"Magnus?" Alec uttered in a low voice.

Magnus turned his head slightly and voiced an unintelligible humming sound in his sleep.

Izzy stopped in the doorway, waiting to see how deep her patient's slumber still was.

Alec walked over to the bed and reached out one hand to gently stroke Magnus' cheek.

Magnus leaned into the touch and sighed. As Alec kept up the soft caresses, Magnus slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning, love."

Magnus smiled in reply.

"I guess the mundane medicine really worked great. It's ten in the morning already, and Izzy is here to get some blood samples."

Izzy waved from her spot in the doorway. "Morning!"

Magnus waved back drowsily.

Izzy switched on the lights and retrieved several syringes from the bags of supplies.

Magnus blinked and tried to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness.

Alec assisted him. When Magnus was finally able to stand the light, Alec asked: "Would you like to go to the bathroom right now, or after the examinations and the IV?"

"Now," Magnus croaked.

Alec beamed at him. "You have your voice back!"

"Sort of."

"Don't strain it right away, Magnus. You don't want to lose it again, do you?" Alec cautioned.

"Let me quickly draw some blood first. Once you take Magnus to the bathroom, I'll go ask Mom to make tea for him. Do you want me to bring back some saltines as well?"

Magnus started to shake his head, hesitated and then, to the siblings' surprise, nodded.

"Saltines it is," Izzy stated cheerfully, collected the blood samples and put the syringes into the sample box on her way to the kitchen.

Alec folded back the covers, picked up Magnus and carried him to the bathroom.

*

When Izzy entered the kitchen again, her mother was still busy with the dishes. "Let me do that, Mom. Magnus is awake and would like some tea. I don't think they want _me_ to make the tea."

Maryse immediately handed the towel over to her daughter and began to prepare a pot of sage tea.

Izzy took over cleaning, drying and putting away the dishes. "Could you also put a few saltines on a small plate, Mom? Magnus actually _wants_ to eat something, so we should encourage him."

Maryse nodded. "A good night's sleep gives the body the chance to regenerate energy and heal." She took out a plate and placed several saltines on it.

"Yes. I hope it means that Magnus is finally on the mend," Izzy commented. "I'm trying the antimycotic as well as a few other possible cures on the cultures I've grown but there were no results yet when I went to bed." Catarina Loss had been a big help in identifying promising substances.

"In your experience, how long will it take until you can see changes in your cultures?" Maryse inquired.

"I should be able to see first results when I get back to the Institute," Izzy replied. "At least if any of the substances are actually effective against the fungus."

"What if none of them are?"

Izzy sighed. "Then I will continue to try and find a cure with the help of Catarina. We may, however, have to rely on Magnus' strength and endurance to beat the disease."

Maryse hesitated before she asked her next question. " _Does_ Magnus still have the strength and endurance to survive this if the medication doesn't help?" She sounded worried. Magnus was already so weak…

Izzy pulled up her shoulders as if to shrug, uncomfortable with the question. "I think so," she finally said, slowly. "I mean, there isn't that much information on Warlock Cold available, but what Jace told us seems to indicate that warlocks mostly die of either using their magic in an attempt to provide for themselves or when they get too weak. Magnus has Alec, and to a certain degree Jace, Clary, you and me, to help him and should be safe from these dangers. There are no accounts known to us of a warlock in this kind of situation."

Maryse considered this for a moment. "Then we need to help Alec as much as we can. Magnus is part of the family now. Are you planning to publish all the data you're accumulating right now at some point? It seems to me that all the Clave has on this disease is incomplete and outdated."

Izzy hesitated, unsure how her mother would react to her next words. "If I do publish any of it, it will be with Catarina Loss as my co-author. I wouldn't have been able to help Alec take care of Magnus the way I have if it hadn't been for her input. We will make the information readily available for any warlock who needs or wants it."

"That is a good idea," Maryse encouraged her daughter. "The warlocks are the ones that need the information the most. Although I'm not sure how many of them actually have close non-warlock friends who could and would help them through something like this."

"They may not even need them. If Catarina and I find a cure or at least a substance or a combination of substances that can alleviate all or most of the symptoms right from the start, afflicted warlocks might be able to take care of themselves. It all depends on how successful our research will be."

"Then I will keep my fingers crossed for you finding a cure to Warlock Cold." Maryse poured one cup of tea and put the remaining tea into a thermos for later. "Let me bring Magnus his tea, Isabelle. I don't want to leave without saying goodbye."

Izzy nodded and turned back around to the sink.

*

Maryse, cup in one hand and plate in the other, stood with her back to the door to the master bedroom and knocked on it with the heel of one bare foot. When she heard her son call "Enter!" she turned around, pushed the door open and stepped inside. With a single glance through the room she took in Magnus sitting in bed, propped up by pillows and an IV bag connected to the catheter in his hand, and Alec standing near the door with two labeled sample containers in his hands. "Good morning, Magnus. I hope you slept well?"

Magnus nodded and croaked "Good morning!"

"You have your voice back. Good. Since it sounds like talking is painful still, you might want to continue using the writing pad and pen."

Soft footfalls and the sound of a box being opened and closed told Maryse that her son was putting this morning's samples away.

"You look a bit better already, and Isabelle told me that you requested breakfast."

Magnus nodded, eyeing the saltines on the plate and feeling something like appetite for the first time in days.

Maryse saw the expression on Magnus' face and smiled. "Hunger and appetite are good signs, Magnus. They show you're healing. You also need to recover your strength." She held out the plate for him so he could reach the saltines.

Magnus picked one up and began to nibble on it slowly.

Maryse set down cup and plate on the nightstand and turned around so she could see both Magnus and Alec, who had returned to the room in the meantime. "It is time for me to leave now. Magnus, I hope you get well again soon. Alec, don't forget to take care of yourself as well and remember that I'm only a fire message away if you have any questions or want to talk."

She brushed Magnus' forehead with her lips, causing the warlock to blush slightly.

"Good luck on your mission and thank you," Magnus managed to say, voice hoarse and brittle.

"Thank you, Magnus." Maryse turned around and embraced her son, who hugged her back fiercely.

"Take care of yourself, Mom. Show those Los Angeles Shadowhunters how it's done."

Maryse chuckled, flattered by her son's confidence in her. "Don't worry, Alec, I will." After one last pat on Alec's shoulder, she stepped back and left the room in search of Isabelle so she could say goodbye to her daughter as well.

Alec watched his mother leave, worried despite his knowledge of her training and capabilities. If whatever was going on in Portland – had been going on there for years apparently – had never been investigated before, there was no telling what might be waiting for his mother there.

When Alec felt Magnus' gaze on him, he turned around and smiled at his boyfriend. "Right. How does your stomach feel about that saltine you just ate?"

Magnus shrugged. "Seems all right."

Alec, not liking the hoarse quality of his boyfriend's voice, handed him the writing materials. "Here. Go easy on your voice. Don't hurt your throat."

Magnus reached for the writing pad and started to nod when he noticed Alec's fingernails. He took a closer look and then raised one eyebrow in an unspoken question.

Alec blushed. "Well, you seemed really impressed with the way my mother took care of you and… um… I asked her to teach me." Alec paused, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "And she said you wouldn't want me to, um, give you a manicure if I didn't practice first. So…"

Magnus performed a more thorough inspection of his boyfriend's fingernails. _There's room for improvement but it's not bad for a first attempt. Do you know what would look good on the black nail polish?_ He then wrote.

Alec read the message and shook his head. "No. What?"

_Runes painted with silver nail polish._

"What? No!" Alec sounded as shocked as he felt. "Those runes would have to be _tiny_! And runes aren't meant to be painted with… with _nail polish_! And… and those layers take _ages_ to dry!"

Magnus' chuckle immediately turned into a cough that went on and on. Once he could breathe again, he wrote down another message. _That's why I apply and dry the nail polish magically. I can do it for you as soon as I have my magic back under control._

Alec hesitated. Runes weren't supposed to be decorative, were they? They served a specific purpose. Runes were also used in murals, paintings and on statues, though, wherever Nephilim lived…

 _It would look really good. Nail art worthy of a Shadowhunter. I can take it off again if you decide you don't like it after all,_ Magnus finally wrote with a hopeful look.

Alec sighed. "All right. When you are well again and have recovered your magical strength and control, I will let you paint runes on my fingernails in silver nail polish."

Magnus aimed a beaming smile at his boyfriend, who groaned.

"But no glitter!" Alec insisted.

Magnus just kept smiling.

"I mean it! No glitter! And no colors but black and silver!" Alec didn't want to even try and imagine what other decorations for his nails his boyfriend might come up with.

Raising his hands in mock-surrender, Magnus nodded.

Alec decided to change the subject. "Saltine or tea next?"

Magnus pointed at the cup and waited for Alec to raise it to his lips so he could take a small sip of the still-hot beverage. Then he picked up another saltine from the plate.

Alec watched Magnus decimate saltines and tea with great relief. His boyfriend's recovered appetite gave him hope that the worst part might be over now.

*

Izzy poked her head into the bedroom while Magnus was munching on the last saltine. "The kitchen is clean again, and I need to go back to the Institute. Is there anything else you need?"

Alec and Magnus exchanged a quick look before Alec replied: "You could take the bag of laundry back with you, Iz. Thank you for coming over in the middle of the night to help out. I appreciate it."

He got up and walked over to his sister to give her a hug.

Izzy hugged him back. "You're welcome, big brother. In future, please call me or Jace _before_ you're so worn out that Mom has to step in."

Alec pulled back a little and gave his sister a rueful grin. "Yeah, um, I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry, just remember it," Izzy told him. Then she turned around to face Magnus. "I'm counting on you to remind him if he forgets. I hope you'll feel even better by this time tomorrow."

Magnus smiled and waved, chewing on the last bite of saltine.

Izzy waved back, picked up the bag of laundry and left.

Alec leaned down to Magnus and kissed his forehead. "I share Izzy's hope. Just so you know."

"Me too," Magnus whispered.

Alec carried the empty cup and plate to the kitchen and immediately returned to Magnus' side. "What are you in the mood for now, Magnus? We could listen to some music, or I could read to you?"

Magnus seemed to think about it for a moment before he made his decision. "Read," he told Alec with a sideways glance at the nightstand.

Alec smiled and retrieved the book from the drawer. "Your wish is, as always, my command." Climbing into bed, Alec settled next to Magnus and used the bookmark to open the book to the right page. As he began to read, Magnus leaned into him and rested his head against his shoulder.

*

They spent a few hours curled up together, with Alec reading to Magnus in a low voice, only interrupted by visits to the bathroom and small breaks for more tea.

Lunch meant stew for Alec, who greatly enjoyed the taste of his mother's cooking, and plain rice and a bowl of broth for Magnus.

Afterwards, Magnus tried to nap despite the returned cough, and Alec called Jace to congratulate him on the well-executed mission and get all the details. They spoke at length, and Jace made sure to chide his _parabatai_ for not taking care of himself before he hung up.

Alec fed the cats, helped Magnus visit the bathroom and drink another cup of tea, switched on the stereo in the bedroom, moved his clothes and bathroom supplies from the guest bedroom back to where they belonged and then went through a three hour training routine in the living room. He put the room back to order and, after checking in on Magnus and seeing that he'd dozed off, decided to forego the shower and take a bath. It felt glorious, and Alec thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing effect of the hot water.

Now if only Magnus weren't ill… Luckily, either Izzy and Catarina's support was helping or his boyfriend was one of those who got off lightly and didn't have to suffer two full weeks of the disease. Maybe Magnus would be well again in a day or two.

Alec ate another serving of stew for dinner and fed Magnus more broth and plain rice. He was very glad his boyfriend could stomach food again.

After dinner, Clary stopped by with a bag of clean laundry, an assortment of fresh fruits courtesy of Maryse and the day's reports from the Institute. It had obviously been a quiet day, and there was nothing for Alec to do but file the report away.

Clary left soon after, wishing them both a good night.

The evening examinations brought satisfying results, and a stool sample was stored in the box in the hallway before Alec and Magnus went through their nightly bathroom ritual. Alec put to use the knowledge he had gained this morning and was rewarded with Magnus' beaming grateful smile.

Alec helped Magnus take his medication and tucked him into bed with the heated owl plushie. Then he put on shorts and crawled into bed next to his boyfriend. "Good night, Magnus. Sleep well."

"Good night, Alec," came the still-hoarse reply.

Alec turned off the lights.


	18. Chapter 18

__

_Day 9_

At first, Alec couldn't identify what had woken him. The room was dark, the small orange night light the only illumination. Then he registered the tremors in the mattress.

He immediately switched on the bedside lamp and turned around.

Magnus was shivering violently despite the covers pulled up to his chin, and his teeth were chattering.

Alec sat up and reached out a hand to brush the dark hair back from his boyfriend's forehead.

Magnus' eyes flew open and his gaze flickered through the room. It obviously took a moment for him to recognize Alec. Then he grabbed his boyfriend's arm tightly. "A-Alexander! S-S-So c-c-cold!"

Alec covered Magnus' hand with his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Then we need to warm you up. Don't worry, I will help you."

Despite his words, he himself _was_ worried. What had caused this? Magnus had been better already, so why was this happening now?

Magnus groaned and tried to pull the covers more tightly around himself.

Alec carefully lifted one side of the covers and groped for the owl plushie. "I'm sorry, Magnus. I'll tuck the covers in again in a moment," he replied to his boyfriend's unhappy groan. As soon as he had the plushie in front of him, he made sure Magnus was covered toes to chin again. "I'll be right back."

Magnus just huddled under the covers.

Alec hurried to the kitchen to boil water and put the cloth bag in the oven to reheat. Then he returned to Magnus' side. "I'm making tea and preparing a hot water bottle, but it will take a moment. Do you need a visit to the bathroom as well?"

Magnus hesitated before he nodded.

*

Upon their return from the bathroom, Alec tucked Magnus back into bed. Since the chills seemed to be getting even worse, if that was possible, Alec added more blankets.

Magnus gave him a grateful look but was clearly still cold.

Not knowing what else he could do, Alec went to the kitchen to prepare a pot of tea, fill a hot water bottle and retrieve the bag of grape seeds from the oven. With the bag in one hand and the hot water bottle in the other, he returned to the bedroom.

Magnus was still shivering, the chattering of his teeth only interrupted by coughing.

Alec hurried to place the hot water bottle at Magnus' feet and the warm owl plushie on his stomach.

Magnus sighed at the welcome warmth but didn't stop shaking.

Worried, Alec thought about calling Izzy for advice. A quick look at the bedside clock made him reconsider: It was one in the morning. He couldn't ask Izzy to miss sleep two nights in a row, could he? Magnus just needed to be warmed up a bit and everything would be fine, right?

A groan from Magnus spurred Alec on as he fetched a cup of fresh elderflower tea from the kitchen. Back in the bedroom, he sat down on the edge of the mattress and lifted the cup to his boyfriend's lips. "Here, drink this. It'll warm you from the inside."

Magnus obediently swallowed small sips of tea in between shivers. Nothing changed at first.

"Would you like more tea?" Alec asked. He was frantically trying, and failing, to come up with more ways to warm Magnus up and keep him warm.

Magnus shook his head mutely, eyes pleading with his boyfriend to do something, help him somehow.

That look wrenched at Alec's heart. He wished he knew how to help. Then a thought hit him. Catarina! Catarina would probably know what to do. She should be working right now, so he wouldn't have to wake _her_ from a sound sleep.

He grabbed Magnus' phone from the nightstand and then realized there actually was something he hadn't tried yet. "Magnus, if you let go of one edge of the covers, I'll climb in with you and share body heat."

Magnus immediately let go.

Alec lifted the blankets and duvet just long enough to scoot close to Magnus and wrap one arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. He was surprised to feel how warm the body beside him was. He'd expected Magnus' skin to be cool, maybe even clammy, but it was, in fact, quite a bit warmer than his own. Why, then, did his boyfriend feel so cold that he was shivering?

Magnus, oblivious to Alec's thoughts, snuggled into his boyfriend's side.

Alec made sure Magnus was covered up to his chin before he called Catarina.

It took several rings for someone to pick up. "Alec, is that you?"

"Yes. I'm so glad I reached you!" Alec's relief was evident in his voice.

"What is it? Did something happen? Is Magnus alright?" Catarina sounded alarmed.

"I don't know what to do. Magnus was finally feeling better all day. He even managed to keep some food down. Now he's so cold, though." Alec had to stop to take a breath. "I mean, not cold-cold. His skin is warmer than mine, almost feverish, but he's shivering and his teeth are chattering and I don't know how to warm him up and-"

"Slow down," Catarina interrupted him. "Breathe. In and out."

Alec, realizing that his babbling was probably hard to understand for the warlock, obeyed.

Catarina waited until she could hear he had calmed down. "Now, tell me what you've tried so far. Slowly."

Alec did, finishing with "But he's still shaking and shivering."

Catarina hummed thoughtfully. "And you say he felt better during the day and even ate something?"

Alec grew impatient. What had that to do with Magnus feeling cold right now? "Yes, the medication helped him sleep with only one interruption last night, and he ate several saltines for breakfast and broth with plain rice for lunch and dinner. His fever's been gone since the night before."

Catarina seemed to think about that for a moment before she answered. "In that case, I think his body was simply out of energy to fight with. Now that he has had a chance to refuel, so to speak, it is once again throwing everything it has at the disease. Fever is part of the body's immune response, and the chills are a sign that the body hasn't reached the temperature yet that it needs to fight the disease."

Alec looked startled. "So, this is good? But he's suffering!"

"Not for long," Catarina soothed. "He'll stop feeling cold once his body temperature is high enough. Just keep him warm and comfortable and give him something to drink as often as possible. He will start sweating soon and may also wake up more often. You might be in for a long night."

"I can deal with that," Alec assured her. "Thank you very much, Catarina. I'm sorry for calling you in the middle of the night again, but I just didn't know what to do."

"Nonsense," Catarina claimed. "Magnus is my friend, and I told you to call me if you need my help taking care of him. That means any day, any time. If this disease weren't so contagious I'd be there right now. I have to think about Madzie as well, though."

"I know, and I'm very grateful for your help. Thank you. Say hi to Madzie for me."

"Will do. You have to come over for dinner with Magnus once he is cured. Madzie would love that."

Alec smiled fondly as he thought of the little girl. "I'm sure Magnus will be delighted as well."

"Then tell him I said to get better soon. We miss his company. I should get back to work now."

"I'll tell him. Thank you again!" He ended the phone call.

Magnus looked up at him, still shivering.

Since Alec wasn't sure how much of the conversation his boyfriend had been able to follow, he relayed all the information to him.

Magnus didn't look very happy about what he heard. "M-more f-f-fever?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so," Alec replied reluctantly. He wished fervently he could suffer in Magnus' place. "If your body is really mobilizing all its energy to fight the disease, though, that could mean you'll be well again soon. The fever might turn out to actually be a good thing."

Magnus didn't look convinced.

"We'll get through this, and I'll be right here, by your side," Alec tried to reassure him. He really wasn't looking forward either to Magnus' fever returning but he was determined to focus on the positive effect it would hopefully have.

*

Huddled under the covers and snuggled against Alexander's side, Magnus sighed in relief when the chills finally subsided. It was nice and warm in bed, and his boyfriend's shoulder made for a decent pillow.

His joy was short-lived, however, as it didn't take him long to start sweating. While he had tried to leech body heat from Alexander before, he now sought skin contact to cool down a bit.

When that didn't work to his satisfaction, he pushed at the covers to expose the pajama-clad body to the room air. He met resistance, though.

Alexander was looking at him, keeping a tight grip on the covers. "Don't do that, Magnus. Catarina said to keep you nice and warm."

"Too warm," Magnus mumbled, weakly pushing against his boyfriend's hand.

Alexander didn't budge. "I know," he stated. "But you still need to stay under the covers." He rubbed the thumb of his other hand gently across Magnus' upper arm.

"Don't want to!" Normally, Magnus would have been embarrassed by his whining tone, but right now he didn't care.

"Shh, I know," Alexander soothed, not moving an inch. He began to hum a lullaby and switched to low singing after one verse.

Bit by bit, Magnus relaxed and let the voice of the man he loved lull him to sleep.

*

An elbow to the ribs woke Alec from sound sleep. He grunted in pain and blinked.

Next to him, Magnus was muttering unintelligibly, tossing and turning. Wet hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead that was creased in a frown.

Alec reached out to brush the hair back. "Shhh, Magnus. Calm down. You- ungh!" He groaned as Magnus' heel connected with his shin. "You're safe. It's just a bad dream."

At least he thought that might be the reason for his boyfriend's behavior.

*

The sudden flare of pain across his ribs woke Jace from a sound sleep. Instincts and reflexes honed in over a decade of combat training made him roll out of bed and land in a defensive stance, ready to fend off an attacker. Grabbing his seraph blade with one hand, Jace used his special ability to activate his _Nyx_ rune.

His bedroom was empty. What the—?

Jace grunted as pain spread through his left shin and looked down. There was nothing to see.

Now that he was wide awake, his brain managed to make the connection between the pain he felt and the bond to his _parabatai_. What was going on over there?

Jace put the blade away, picked up his phone and dialed Alec's number.

*

The ringing of Alec's phone interrupted his efforts to calm his boyfriend. He blindly grabbed for the device and accepted the call before the additional noise could disturb Magnus' sleep even further.

"Jace?" He could identify his most important contacts by ringtone.

"Alec?" His _parabatai_ sounded worried. "Are you alright?"

"Am I—? I'm fine, Jace. What's this about?" Alec asked, confused.

"Alec, I felt your pain. What happened?"

Damn. He'd completely forgotten about that part of their bond. Of course Jace had felt the pain. He should have blocked the connection the moment he woke up. What should he tell Jace so as not to worry him needlessly?

"I'm sorry, Jace. I guess I should have rubbed the sleep from my eyes before going to the kitchen for some tea. I stumbled, hit the living room table and let go of my witchlight at the impact. When I was trying to find the witchlight, I hit my shin on a side table."

"That doesn't sound like you, Alec. You aren't usually that clumsy. Do you want me to come over?"

Alec shook his head before he realized that Jace couldn't see that. "No, that's not necessary, Jace. I'm fine. Magnus' request just woke me from really deep sleep. I'll switch on the lights the next time I walk through the apartment in the middle of the night."

"If you're really sure…" Jace sounded hesitant but let it go. "Sleep well, both of you."

"Thanks, you as well."

*

Once they'd ended the call, Jace remained sitting on the edge of his bed, looking thoughtfully at his phone. This didn't really sit right with him. Since when did Alec stumble into or over furniture?

On the other hand, these last two weeks had been _really_ challenging for his _parabatai_ , and if he'd just woken from deep sleep and stumbled to the kitchen on autopilot to get some tea for Magnus…

A moment later the pain in his ribs and his shin vanished, so Alec must have activated his _iratze_. Good.

Jace crawled back into bed and pulled up the covers, but sleep wouldn't come right away. A nagging thought remained that he needed to keep an eye out for Alec tonight.

Only when nothing else happened for about an hour did Jace manage to fall asleep again.

*

Alec put his phone back onto the nightstand and sighed. He should have thought of this complication sooner. Jace needed his sleep. He decided to block their _parabatai_ connection for this night, just to be on the safe side.

He groped for his stele to activate his _iratze_ and quickly realized that it wasn't there. After a moment of confusion he remembered that he'd left it with his clothes.

One look at Magnus, who was still tossing and muttering in his sleep, told Alec that this was a bad time to get up. He scooted over, gently pulled Magnus against his own body and stroked the sweat-soaked hair away from his forehead.

"Shhh, Magnus, it's alright. You're safe."

He kept muttering a string of reassurances until Magnus quieted down and relaxed. Only when Magnus was breathing evenly again did he dare close his own eyes, his stele forgotten again.

*

Just as Alec was dozing off again, Magnus gasped and started to move restlessly.

Alec sighed and opened his eyes.

Magnus was obviously still asleep and probably caught in some kind of dream again.

Hand already halfway to Magnus' face to soothe him, Alec reconsidered. Catarina had told him to make Magnus drink as much as possible. Now was as good a time as any other to get another cup of tea.

By the time Alec returned with it, Magnus had managed to shove the covers to the foot of the bed and was thrashing his head side-to-side, groaning and muttering.

Alec placed the cup on the nightstand, sat down on the edge of the mattress and reached out one hand to gently shake Magnus' shoulder. "Magnus?"

It took a moment for Magnus to react, but then his eyes flew open and he flinched from the touch.

"Magnus?" Alec asked, unsure. What was going on?

Magnus' gaze flickered from spot to spot until it came to rest on Alec's face. Fear and confusion slowly gave way to recognition. "Ale-xander?" Magnus sounded hesitant.

"Yes, Magnus. It's me," Alec replied, relieved. "That must have been quite some dream you had."

Seeing that Magnus was still not fully with him, the golden eyes full of uncertainty, Alec dropped the subject.

"You have a fever and need to drink something. I brought tea." Alec picked up the cup and slowly lifted it to Magnus' lips.

Magnus eyed the cup with distrust for a moment before he took a cautious sip. The taste of the elderflower tea seemed to register as ‘safe to drink' because Magnus didn't hesitate to empty the cup after that first sip.

Alec tucked Magnus in carefully before he carried the cup back to the kitchen. By the time he returned to the bedroom and climbed back into bed, sleep had claimed Magnus again.

*

The next time Alec woke up was due to Magnus' forearm hitting him across the belly, hard. Alec sat up, groaning, and looked over at his boyfriend. "What was that for?" he asked, but quickly realized he would get no answer.

Magnus was thrashing in his sleep and mumbling something Alec couldn't understand.

The covers were pushed down to their knees already.

Alec, remembering the way Magnus had flinched away from his touch the last time, started to softly sing his boyfriend's favorite lullaby.

Magnus' erratic movements slowed and his breathing calmed.

Alec drew the covers back up to Magnus' chin inch by inch and finally dared stroke his hand through his boyfriend's sweat-soaked hair after Magnus' face had relaxed.

Rubbing his other hand over the sore part of his belly, Alec closed his eyes again. This was turning out to be a long night indeed…


	19. Chapter 19

_Magnus was running, breathing hard. His shoulder hurt where the fire had singed it, but he had no time to cast a healing spell. He could hear his pursuer's footfalls follow him._

_It hadn't been his intention to trespass on another warlock's territory, it had been an accident! But the man had shown no interest in Magnus' hastily stammered explanations and instead thrown balls of fire at him. They had gone right through Magnus' shields, and it had been sheer dumb luck that only one had connected with his body._

_Then he'd run, and had been running ever since._

_Heat streaked past him as another fireball narrowly missed his head._

_Magnus' lungs were burning with the effort of supplying his body with dearly needed air, and his legs were aching. He couldn't stop, however! He had to keep going! Heat hit the back of his right calf, setting the cloth covering his skin on fire. Magnus screamed and threw himself to the ground, rolling back and forth to extinguish the flames, gasping in pain._

_He tried to sit up, he needed to get to his feet or he'd be killed, he had to—"_

Magnus blinked and stared into the dimly lit room, panting hard. His heart was hammering in his chest and he felt like he was still burning. His hands scrambled to the collar of his clothing, fumbling to open buttons that wouldn't cooperate.

He yelped, frightened, when his hands were caught in a firm grip and stilled.

"Shh, Magnus. Calm down. You're safe."

He heard the voice that sounded vaguely familiar and very far away. What was going on? Magnus looked around frantically and managed, bit by bit, to identify his surroundings.

It took him even longer to remember the name that belonged to the face next to him.

"Alexander."

The word held a world of relief. He was safe, it had just been a dream. Born from a memory, but morphed into a nightmare. In reality, he had gotten away that day after the initial hit to his shoulder. His very young self had learned a valuable lesson about trespassing, though, accidentally or not.

Magnus relaxed back into the pillows and closed his eyes.

*

Although Alec felt as if he'd closed his eyes just a few minutes ago when Magnus' restless movements next to him woke him up, the bedside clock told him that almost one hour had passed.

He got up with a groan and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes on his way to the kitchen.

When he returned with a cup of elderflower tea in hand, Magnus was awake, wide golden eyes scanning the room.

Alec sat down on the edge of the mattress and smiled at his boyfriend. "I brought tea. Sip carefully, it's still pretty hot."

The thermos had kept the tea warmer than he'd thought, but he had taken a cautious sip himself and determined that the liquid was, in fact, not hot enough to burn Magnus' mouth.

Alec slowly lifted the cup towards Magnus' lips. He had the uncomfortable feeling that his boyfriend wasn't looking so much _at_ him but through him.

When the cup was close to Magnus' face, the feverish man suddenly recoiled and lashed out at the same time, his forearm hitting the bottom of the cup.

Alec, not expecting that kind of reaction, lost his grip and shouted in surprise and pain as the empty cup bounced off his chest and the hot tea splashed onto his lower belly and soaked his shorts.

He scrambled to his feet and pushed his underwear down to get the wet fabric as far away from sensitive skin as possible.

Magnus was still leaning as far back as the pillows allowed, watching the other man with distrust.

Alec lifted both hands, palms out, as he cautiously approached the bed. "Magnus, it's me, Alec. You're home. You're safe. You need to calm down." He kept muttering reassurances.

To him, it felt like an eternity had passed by the time Magnus snuggled against his side again.

Alec pulled the covers up over both of them and decided to stay awake and keep an eye on his boyfriend.

The little bits of sleep he'd managed to catch so far hadn't been very restful anyway, and it worried him that Magnus seemed more disoriented every time he woke up.

*

Despite his intention to stay awake, Alec had nodded off with Magnus sleeping nestled against his side.

Pain woke him. _Something_ had hit his face, pushing his upper lip forcefully against his teeth and squashing his nose. Alec tasted blood and was wide awake.

Next to him, Magnus was thrashing and groaning, his feet kicking against the covers.

One hand covering his throbbing nose and mouth, Alec turned around to face Magnus. He could feel warm blood running down his face.

Alec caught one of his boyfriend's hands and held on tight. "Magnus, you're having a bad dream."

But Magnus didn't seem to hear him and screamed at him. "Ga weg!"

Alec didn't understand what his boyfriend was saying but thought he could guess the meaning. Still, he didn't dare leave Magnus to his own devices, worried that he might hurt himself acting out his fever dream.

So he held on to Magnus' hand and spoke to him in what he hoped was a calm and soothing tone. "Shhh, Magnus. It's alright. You're safe."

He moved to straddle Magnus' thighs in an attempt to further immobilize his frantic boyfriend.

Magnus twisted and writhed, panting hard. "Laat me vrij! Stop!" he yelled at Alec. Or rather, at the adversary he was facing in whatever nightmare he was caught in.

Alec caught the meaning without knowing the language – to him it sounded Germanic – but didn't relent. Instead, he withdrew the bloody hand from his own face and caught Magnus' second hand with it.

"Nee! NEEN!" Magnus wailed, desperate. He threw himself against Alec's hold, trying to break free.

Alec barely managed to hold on. Magnus was demonstrating a strength and stamina he hadn't expected. Feeling sweat run down his back and face, Alec mobilized every bit of energy to not lose his grip on the thrashing and bucking man.

By the time Magnus finally calmed down again and slipped back into a somewhat uneasy sleep, Alec was panting hard. He stayed where he was for a bit longer to make sure the nightmare was really over. Then he climbed out of bed carefully and went to the bathroom to check on the damage to his face. He could still feel himself bleeding.

A look in the mirror showed him his swollen upper lip and bleeding nose. When he opened his mouth, he saw he had also bitten his lip or cut it on the edge of one of his teeth.

From the afflicted area, the type of damage and their positions in bed Alec concluded that Magnus had most probably lashed out with his arm and hit him with the back of his hand.

Alec soaked a towel in cold water and held it to his face to stop the bleeding. He hissed in pain. This night was turning out to be worse than expected.

Once the flow of blood from his nose and mouth had stopped, Alec used the wet towel to clean the blood off his skin.

Then he wet another towel and returned to the bedroom to gently wipe smears and droplets of his blood from Magnus' face and hand.

He realized his mistake too late as Magnus violently flinched away from the cold towel and his elbow connected forcefully with Alec's eye, drawing a yell of pain from him.

Magnus' eyes flew open wide, his gaze fluttering through the room, looking for the source of the noise.

Alec was covering his hurting eye with one hand and kept some distance between himself and his boyfriend. "Magnus?" he asked uncertainly.

The word caused Magnus to focus on Alec's face, but there was no real recognition. "Whatisgoingon?" he mumbled sleepily.

"You had a bad dream, Magnus. Go back to sleep," Alec soothed, his swollen lip causing a slight slur.

Magnus didn't seem to understand him. His gaze was flickering through the room again, and his eyes held a feverish shine.

Since Alec didn't know what else to do, he started humming his boyfriend's favorite lullaby again.

The familiar sounds managed to calm Magnus down bit by bit. His lids began to droop shut, slowly obscuring his golden eyes. Magnus' breathing evened out.

When Alec was sure that his boyfriend had fallen asleep again, he carried the wet towel back into the bathroom and took another look in the mirror.

His right eye was rapidly swelling shut, the skin around it already showing some discoloration. Carefully, he examined the injury with the tips of his fingers to determine whether the hit had broken anything. It didn't feel like it.

Well, he'd better activate his _iratze_ before Magnus – awake, clearly-thinking Magnus – had a chance to see his face. It wouldn't do to make his boyfriend worry. He'd had worse in training before.

Alec looked down his body, forehead creased in a frown. He didn't care that he was naked. He was just trying to remember where he'd left his stele. Jacket pocket or pants pocket? Pants probably. Which meant it should still be in the bedroom with his clothes from the day before.

With a sigh – this was shaping up to be a very long night – Alec made his way back to the bedroom to get his stele. The moment he walked into the room, that plan went out the window.

Magnus had apparently slipped right into another nightmare. He was groaning and whimpering and thrashing in his sleep.

Alec only caught a few words – "non" and "s'il vous plait" – but that was enough to tell him two things: One, Magnus seemed to be dreaming in French this time, and two, he was pleading with someone or something.

Alec approached Magnus without any hesitation and began right away to hum the lullaby again.

It didn't have an immediate effect this time.

Magnus' erratic movements made him slide sideways off the pillows at his back. He slumped to the mattress and tried to crawl away, still muttering under his breath. "Non… non! Ne me tuez pas!"

Alec didn't understand the rest due to Magnus' sobs. What was he dreaming about? Who or what wanted to kill him?

Not daring to touch Magnus, worried he might trigger another violent reflex, Alec switched from humming to singing. He ignored the pain in his lip and didn't think Magnus would care very much that the was slurring a bit.

By the time Magnus calmed down again, Alec was slightly hoarse. For a very short moment, he thought about lifting his boyfriend's torso and leaning him back against the pillows. Then he decided it wasn't worth the risk of waking Magnus up again. The mundane pain medication seemed to have taken care of the cough for now, and if Magnus could sleep in the position he was in, then Alec would let him sleep.

He took the additional pillows from the bed and put them aside. Then he crawled into bed next to his boyfriend and settled in for a long watch. As much as he hoped that this had been it, that this was as bad as this night was going to get, he wasn't going to take any chances.

*

It was hard to fight off sleep lying in a warm, comfortable bed in an almost dark room. Alec thought about activating his Caffeine rune several times but always changed his mind.

Maybe it was silly, but he was kind of worried that the few moments it would take him to get up, pick up his stele from the heap of clothes and activate the Caffeine and _iratze_ runes might be the crucial moment where Magnus had another nightmare and injured himself trying to run from someone or something.

So he kept himself awake by going through all the runes in the Gray Book – those he'd had access to, that is. He drew them in his mind, one after the other, and stated their names and uses silently.

Alec was about halfway through the list of runes he knew and had started to hope that Magnus would actually sleep through the rest of the night when his boyfriend grew restless again. A quick glance towards the window showed that the color of the sky had grown a few shades lighter.

"Shhh, Magnus. Everything's fine. You're safe," Alec tried to stop the nightmare before it properly began. To no avail.

Magnus started squirming and muttering unintelligibly. His face was covered in sweat, and his forehead creased in a frown.

Alec reached out with one hand to smooth those frown lines but stopped an inch short of skin contact. He had no idea what his boyfriend was dreaming about right now and really didn't want to cause another violent reaction.

So he just kept muttering reassurances and watched Magnus writhe and toss and turn. His boyfriend showed no signs of calming down. On the contrary.

Alec resorted to singing lullabies again, but this time the sound didn't still the erratic movements or relax the tense body.

Magnus groaned and began to talk in his sleep.

Alec didn't know the language although it sounded kind of familiar. It took him a while to place the sounds. A demonic language. He hadn't made a study of languages, but every Shadowhunter was given examples of the more common demonic languages during basic training. He might be mistaken, but the words his boyfriend was uttering vaguely reminded him of what he remembered of Chthonic.

Which didn't help him because he neither spoke nor understood Chthonic. He did register the urgent quality of Magnus' voice, however.

Alec watched as his boyfriend shoved the covers down and began to tug at his pajama top. Should he stop him? Or would that just make the situation worse? If only he knew what his boyfriend was dreaming about he might be able to soothe him back to peaceful sleep.

Magnus, apparently frustrated by the uncooperative buttons, wiggled his fingers.

Alec saw the first sparks of magic appear and immediately closed his hands firmly around both of his boyfriend's. "No! Magnus, don't!" It had been an instinctive reaction, faster than his brain could consciously register the danger.

Magnus actually _growled_ at him, trying to yank his hands free.

Alec tightened his hold but quickly realized he would need better leverage unless he wanted his boyfriend to get loose and use his magic.

Magnus was screaming in Chthonic now, turning his head from side to side and thrashing against his boyfriend's hold.

Alec swung one leg over Magnus' and sat down on his boyfriend's thighs, using his full weight to immobilize Magnus.

Magnus immediately tried to dislodge him, buck him off, but didn't manage to do so in their current position. His words sounded more urgent now but no less incomprehensible.

Alec just stayed where he was, riding out Magnus' attempts to break free. It amazed – and worried – him that his boyfriend still seemed to be fast asleep.

When Magnus didn't manage to throw off the weight on his legs despite his struggles, he changed tactics and renewed his efforts to break his hands free from Alec's firm grip.

Alec was soon panting almost as hard as Magnus. The heat radiating from the body underneath him made him feel like he was sitting on a furnace. He hadn't realized the fever had climbed _that_ high. It also seemed to enhance his boyfriend's strength. Or maybe it was the desperation due to his nightmare. Whatever the source of the increased strength was, it made Alec wish fervently he could borrow his _parabatai's_ special power for a bit. Then he could have activated his Strength and Stamina runes right now without having to let go of Magnus' hands.

Magnus was growing more frantic with every minute, his struggles turning truly desperate. Since he couldn't throw Alec off, he writhed and jerked and growled and uttered what sounded like curses in demon language.

"Magnus, stop this. You're dreaming!" Alec tried again to get through to his boyfriend. Hope blossomed in his chest when the golden eyes he loved so much flew open. The moment Magnus recognized him, the struggle would be over.

But there was no recognition in the golden cat eyes. They shone with fever and were wide with fear.

"Magnus, it's me. Alec. You're safe." Alec could have just saved his breath for all the difference it made. His boyfriend was still struggling against his grip and speaking in Chthonic.

All the effort in addition to the high fever made Magnus sweat quite a bit. His hair and pajamas were more or less soaked already, and now Alec could feel his boyfriend's hands grow slippery. If he didn't do something about that he would lose his grip soon.

Magnus showed no signs of tiring or coming to his senses. There was no way to tell how much longer this nightmare would last.

So Alec did the only thing he could think of. He leaned forward to press Magnus' hands against the mattress close together so he could grip both hands with one of his and wipe his other hand dry on the sheets.

Magnus reacted to the weight removed from his thighs by ramming up one knee with all the strength he possessed.

Alec choked on a groan as his body collapsed in a heap on top of his boyfriend. The pain blooming in his belly and radiating into his body from there took all his strength away and made his hands go limp.

Magnus immediately used that opportunity to shape and throw some kind of magic.

Alec saw the sparkle from the corner of his eye but was in too much pain to do anything about it. He pressed his face into the mattress next to Magnus' head and clenched his jaw so he wouldn't scream but he couldn't contain the pained groan.

The next moment, there was a cracking sound, followed by a loud crash, and dust as well as small and middle-sized pieces of what Alec assumed was plaster from the ceiling rained down on him and his boyfriend. It was uncomfortable but not really painful. It was _nothing_ compared to the pain he was feeling from his belly out.

If Alec had hoped that that bit of magic had depleted his boyfriend's reserves he was about to be disappointed.

Magnus shook his head, presumably to rid his face of dust and debris, and began to move his hands again, sparks gathering around his fingers.

Alec tried to find the strength to grab his boyfriend's hands again but the pain made him feel weak all over. His fingers only clenched helplessly on the sheets.

Magnus spoke more words in Chthonic as he threw the magic he had gathered.

For a second or two, nothing happened. Then the sound of an explosion shook the room.

Alec felt pain suddenly bloom at the back of his right shoulder a fraction of a second before some kind of blast hit his back and head, pressing him forward and down, and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ga weg! = Get away from me! (Dutch)  
> Laat me vrij! Stop! = Let me go! Stop! (Dutch)  
> Nee! NEEN! = Noooo! (Dutch)  
> I'd like to thank Pameluke and F. for the Dutch translations.
> 
> Non = No (French)  
> s'il vous plait = please (French)  
> Ne me tuez pas = Don't kill me (French)


	20. Chapter 20

Izzy entered the apartment around nine in the morning with a bag of clean laundry and an empty sample box. When her brother didn't come to meet her, she poked her head into the kitchen, expecting Alec to be either making or eating breakfast.

But the room was empty and didn't smell of pancakes or tea or coffee.

Frowning, Izzy walked down the hallway. Were those two still in bed? Although they knew she'd be coming by around this time? That didn't sound like her big brother.

Then a smile crept onto her face and quickly morphed into a smirk. Magnus had been a lot better yesterday. Clary had told her last night that her patient's condition had improved even further in the course of the day.

So it was entirely possible, even plausible, that Magnus was feeling even better today and was so busy celebrating his returned health with Alec that they'd both lost all track of time.

Still smirking, Izzy put the new sample box down next to the one already there. Then she opened the latter to take a look at the samples. She frowned. Last night's stool sample was there, but nothing else. Where were this morning's samples?

Alec and Magnus couldn't have been _that_ busy, right?

Izzy rose, walked the few steps to the bedroom door and knocked. There was no response. She knocked again.

"Come on, big brother. You can try to break the record for marathon sex another time. I don't have all day and I need this morning's samples!"

Nothing. Izzy knocked again, hard. No reaction.

"That's it, guys. I'm coming in."

Izzy opened the door, walked into the room – and froze.

It looked like a battlefield in there!

The bathroom door had been blown off its hinges and crashed into the big five-door wardrobe, causing one of the doors to splinter and fall to the floor in pieces.

The big antique chandelier had come down, narrowly missing the foot of the bed and sending small shards of glass everywhere.

And half of the wall separating the bathroom from the bedroom was gone, giving Izzy a perfect view of the big tub and one edge of the shower stall.

What the hell had happened in here?

Letting her gaze travel further through the room, Izzy quickly found out where that section of wall had gone. Bits and pieces of it were strewn all over the floor around the bed right to the opposite wall. _On_ the bed as well.

More precisely, on top of a naked male body covered in runes. Since Izzy was sure she would have noticed if Alec had grown two additional legs, apparently on Magnus as well.

"Alec? Magnus?" There was no reaction from the two still figures.

Worried, Izzy picked her way through the debris, careful not to trip or stumble.

As she neared the bed, she noticed that the back of her brother's shoulder was covered in a reddish substance – blood – which was coating his upper arm as well and pooling under him. The blood looked already mostly dry, the wound was no longer bleeding.

Scared for her brother's life, Izzy reached out a hand to feel for Alec's pulse. It was way too fast, but there. She heaved a sigh of relief before she began to carefully pick up the debris still resting on Alec's body and dropping it in a corner of the room. Her brother's back, behind and legs were covered in scrapes, cuts and bruises.

After clearing the rest of the mattress of debris, Izzy gently turned Alec over onto his back so she could reach his _iratze_.

As she did so, her brother groaned and stirred. One hand going to his head, Alec slowly opened his eyes. "Iz?" He flinched as soon as the movement pulled on his shoulder wound. "Ow. What are you doing here? What happened?"

Izzy frowned at her brother. "I was hoping you could tell me what happened, Alec. It's, like, nine in the morning. I'm here to get the samples." She reached for her stele. "Here, let me activate your _iratze_. You look like you went several rounds with a Greater Demon."

Alec pushed her hand away. "I'm fine!"

Izzy snorted.

"Okay, I _will_ be fine. I'll activate my _iratze_ in a moment. You need to take care of Magnus. He was feverish and having nightmares and I couldn't keep him from using magic." He had to stop so he could breathe. "Please, Iz, tell me that Magnus is alright."

Izzy saw the desperation in her brother's eyes and heard it in his voice. "Alec, you are bruised all over and there's a hole in your shoulder. It also looks like you lost quite a bit of blood. You should let me help you," she cautioned, worried that her brother hadn't realized the extent of his injuries yet.

"It's not as bad as it looks, Iz," Alec claimed. "Take care of Magnus."

*

Alec carefully examined the back of his right shoulder with the fingertips of his left hand and winced in pain. His head was throbbing in time with his heartbeat and the contents of his stomach rose with every fresh wave of pain.

He pressed the back of his bloody hand on his mouth and swallowed convulsively. Why was he so nauseous? Come to think if it, why was his stomach hurting so much?

Alec used his other hand to examine his stomach for injuries when the memory returned. Magnus' knee. Wait…

Looking down his body, Alec found his suspicion confirmed: He wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing! And the covers were bunched up at the foot of the bed.

Alec blushed hotly and sat up to grab the covers. The sudden movement made pain explode in his head and dark spots appear in his field of vision. He groaned and sunk back.

*

Izzy still didn't feel right about not treating her brother's injuries but respected his very clear wish that she should take care of Magnus instead, so she carefully walked over to the other side of the bed.

Magnus' eyes were closed and a gash ran from the middle of his forehead to his temple. Blood glistened on that side of his face.

The collar and shoulder of his pajama top on his other side were soaked in what Izzy assumed was blood from her brother's shoulder wound.

Magnus' chest rose and fell with even breaths.

Izzy reached out a hand to feel his pulse and temperature when a groan from the other side of the bed made her turn around.

"Alec? Are you alright?"

*

"Yeah, Iz." Alec pressed one hand to his mouth as his stomach contents threatened to make a reappearance. "Just tried to sit up too fast," he panted.

Reaching behind his head, he groped around until his fingers closed around the edge of a pillow which he then used to cover his groin.

Not being on display anymore in front of his little sister made him feel a little better but did absolutely nothing to lessen the pain.

But to get rid of the pain, he needed his stele. Which was with his clothes from yesterday. Which were somewhere in this room. Hopefully still intact.

*

Izzy shot her brother a concerned look but realized that he wouldn't appreciate her fussing over him unless he was absolutely certain his lover was safe and well.

So she felt Magnus' pulse with the tips of two fingers. Her patient seemed feverish right now, but his pulse was strong and steady. So far so good.

Izzy felt out of her depth, though, when a closer look revealed the gash to be fairly deep and still bleeding. She was no doctor! And her ‘patients' weren't usually this alive still.

She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the wound. _Accident with Magnus' magic_ , she wrote. _What do I do?_

Then she hit ‘send'.

*

Alec waited for the nausea to subside and the pain in his head and shoulder to lessen to a dull throb again. He needed to get to his stele before Magnus woke up. If his boyfriend saw his injuries, he would feel guilty for causing them. He wouldn't care that he hadn't been in his right mind because of the fever.

This time, Alec slowly pushed himself up on his elbows a little and then stayed still until the room stopped spinning. Bit by bit, he worked his way up to a sitting position.

*

While she was waiting for Catarina's reply, Izzy examined Magnus for other injuries. She was relieved when she didn't find any, but slightly worried because Magnus still hadn't woken up.

How bad was it?

Her phone beeped and Izzy immediately read the message.

_Use disinfectant spray and butterfly bandages. Any other injuries?_

For a moment, Izzy was surprised by the short and emotionless text. It almost sounded as if Catarina didn't care one way or another. That couldn't be, could it?

Izzy blinked and almost groaned at her oversight: Catarina worked the nightshift. She'd probably just fallen asleep when she got the text and was exhausted. Typing long messages wouldn't do anything to help Magnus.

_Where do I get those? Nothing else I can see._

This time, she'd just put her phone down when the answer arrived.

 _My place_ , followed by an address. That hadn't been what Izzy had meant. She'd thought Catarina would tell her about the closest mundane pharmacy.

Izzy forwarded the entire conversation to Jace and returned her attention to Magnus.

*

When Alec was finally sitting upright, he looked over at Magnus.

His boyfriend seemed to still be unconscious, which worried Alec.

"What's wrong with him, Iz?"

His sister looked up at him. "He has a head wound, but he seems to be fine otherwise."

"Then why isn't he waking up, Iz? Shouldn't he be awake by now?"

Izzy sighed. "I don't know. I'm sure he'll come around soon, though."

Soon? Alec wanted his boyfriend to open his eyes _now_ so he'd know that he was actually fine.

"Magnus? Magnus, wake up! MAGNUS!" Alec's voice grew louder and more urgent with every word.

Magnus' eyelids fluttered.

*

Magnus came to slowly. He thought he could hear Alexander calling his name. Why was he calling? Was it time to wake up?

He tried to say his boyfriend's name but only managed a croak. His head was hurting. _Really_ hurting. Especially his forehead.

Magnus managed to open his eyes and blinked several times. It took him a few moments to make any kind of sense of what he was seeing.

He was in his own bedroom, but why was there a hole in the ceiling above the bed?

"Magnus! You're awake. You gave me a scare!"

At the sound of his boyfriend's relieved voice, Magnus turned his head. He immediately regretted the movement as pain exploded in his head, making him groan and close his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, the first thing he registered was the spiderweb of cracks in his bedroom window. What had happened here that could damage safety glass like that?

Then his eyes fell on Alexander and he gasped.

"Alexander." It came out as a toneless rasp. Magnus cleared his throat and tried again. "Alexander, love. What happened to you?"

*

Magnus' question made Alec blush. He should have let Izzy activate his _iratze_. Or even better, he should have taken his stele into bed with him.

He silently vowed to never let his stele out of his reach again.

"Alexander?" Magnus sounded even more worried now.

Alec smiled at him and winced as the movement pulled at the wound in his mouth.

"It's nothing, Magnus. I'll be fine," he tried to soothe his boyfriend.

Magnus frowned, then yelped in pain. "Ow. _That_ is _not_ nothing, Alexander. You look like you've fought a battle. There's a _hole_ in the ceiling of our bedroom. _Something_ must have happened."

Alec's blush darkened under his boyfriend's scrutiny.

He looked over at Izzy and realized his sister would be no help. She seemed to be waiting for his answer as well.

*

Magnus didn't know what Alexander was looking at, but his boyfriend's whole demeanor was broadcasting distress.

"Alexander, what are you trying to hide? Who did this to you? What happened?"

"Magnus, you apparently don't remember, but it was probably you."

 _That_ wasn't Alexander's voice. Magnus' head whipped around before he could stop himself. The resulting pain made him groan and see stars.

When his vision cleared again, he had some trouble processing what he saw. Isabelle was there, but a piece of the wall was missing. Magnus blinked once, twice, but the view didn't change.

Wait, what had Isabelle said? _He_ was supposed to have hurt Alexander? That made no sense!

"But… how. . why?" Magnus wasn't sure which question he needed to ask first.

*

Izzy waited for Alec to explain the night's events. Moments of silence stretched into a whole minute, then two. When she realized that her brother wasn't going to say anything, probably didn't know _what_ to say, she cleared her throat.

"Well, I only arrived this morning, but from what little Alec told me and what I remember from Jace' and Catarina's explanations about the side effects of Warlock Cold, you had a really high fever last night and tried to use your magic. It obviously backfired. I guess you can count yourself lucky nothing worse happened."

She waited for Magnus to process that information before she asked "What is the last thing you actually remember?"

*

Magnus thought about it, sorting through his memories. Which was the last one?

"Alexander helped me take my medication," he said slowly, still thinking. "And then he came into bed as well and we fell asleep."

He looked from Isabelle to Alexander and back, careful to only move his eyes and not his head. What had he missed? Or should he say, forgotten?

"The next thing I know is there's a hole in the bedroom ceiling, a piece of wall missing and Alexander looks like he's been to war."

Magnus looked at his boyfriend, worried by Alexander's reluctance to tell him about the night. What had he done?

"Alexander, please," he implored. "Tell me what happened. How could one spell gone awry do so much damage? What was I trying to _do_?"

*

Alec had watched the exchange between Izzy and Magnus and grown more nervous by the minute. He realized he would have to tell his boyfriend and his sister at least some of what had happened, but he didn't really want to.

It would just make Magnus worry without changing anything!

Magnus' pleading tone finally forced Alec to break his silence. He didn't want the man he loved with all his heart to feel he had to beg him for information.

"First you felt really cold. You were shivering and no matter what I did I couldn't get you warmed up. I called Catarina for advice. She said that it was to be expected after yesterday. The sleep and the food helped you recover some of your energy, and your body was now using that to fight the disease. You would develop a fever again and hopefully feel even better today."

Well, _that_ obviously hadn't worked out.

"She told me not to worry and to just keep you warm and make you drink lots of tea. Which I tried."

Alec paused. Izzy and Magnus were looking expectantly at him but he didn't know how to continue. Which parts did he absolutely have to tell Magnus about and what could he leave out without causing suspicion?

*

Magnus gave Alexander a confused look. Why didn't he remember being so cold? How could it just be gone from his memory? He would have to ask Catarina about that the next time they talked.

When Alexander didn't continue his explanation, Magnus raised one eyebrow.

"And?" he inquired. "What happened then?"

He watched as Alexander fidgeted.

"Your fever climbed fast and you grew restless. I think you had bad dreams a few times and you talked in different languages. Most of it I didn't understand."

Well, that obviously meant that Alexander had understood _some_ of it. Maybe that information could shed some light on what he had been dreaming about.

"You were really agitated and I think you were dreaming of fighting because you suddenly used magic. I tried to stop you, but I wasn't fast enough."

Magnus looked at Alexander in disbelief. "One single spell gone awry bruised your lip, blackened your eye, injured my forehead and your arm and wreaked havoc on our bedroom?" His gaze traveled down his boyfriend's body and he stopped, startled. "What are you doing with that pillow? Weren't you wearing shorts last night?"

*

Alec choked on air at the last question and blushed a dark red. _That_ wasn't exactly something he wanted to go into detail about.

"I spilled some tea," he mumbled.

"On your underwear?" Magnus asked incredulously.

Izzy chuckled and pressed a hand to her mouth.

Alec decided to ignore the other two's reactions. "It just seemed easier not to bother with clean shorts. It was more than warm enough in bed next to you."

"But how did you manage to spill tea _on your underwear_?" Magnus inquired more insistently. "I'm assuming we are talking about more than just a few drops if you decided to take the shorts off because of it."

Alec sighed. Why couldn't Magnus just leave it be?

"I was trying to get you to drink something and you didn't recognize me and lashed out and the cup went flying and I got soaked in tea," Alec blurted.

There was stunned silence for a moment, and then Izzy lost her fight and started to laugh.

*

Magnus needed a few moments longer to make sense of Alexander's statement. It didn't make him feel like laughing, though.

"Alexander, I'm so sorry! That must have hurt. I would never do that while I'm in my right mind!"

"It's alright, Magnus. I'm fine," Alexander tried to soothe his worried boyfriend. He was pointedly _not_ looking at Isabelle, who was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face.

But Magnus had already continued his thoughts. "Wait. Your face. Did I do _that_ as well?"

Alexander didn't meet his gaze.

"Alexander?" What else wasn't he telling him?

"It was really mostly my own fault," Alexander stated quietly.

"Your own fault?" Somehow, Magnus doubted that.

*

Izzy took a few deep breaths to calm down and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes before she addressed her big brother.

"Alec, just tell Magnus what happened last night. Getting anything out of you is like pulling teeth! It can't be that bad!"

At the look _that_ brought to Alec's face, her eyebrows rose towards her hairline.

"Alec, what exactly aren't you telling us?"

*

Alec stammered nonsense as both Izzy and Magnus were giving him expectant looks. Why did they have to gang up on him now? That wasn't fair!

He sighed. "Magnus, you were _really_ out of it. I shouldn't have fallen asleep next to you, assuming I'd wake up if you moved. You caught me in the face once as you lashed out in a dream. I bled a bit, and some of the blood got onto you. When I tried to wipe it away, you elbowed me in the eye."

Seeing his boyfriend's shocked face, he added "But you didn't mean to! I should have realized you wouldn't recognize me in the state you were in!"

*

"Why didn't you just put restraints on Magnus if he was so volatile?" Izzy asked incredulously when Alec had finished.

The shock that showed on her brother's face at that suggestion was almost comical.

"Put restraints on Magnus? I would _never_ do that!" he exclaimed.

Izzy couldn't contain a snort when she saw Magnus eye Alec speculatively. To her, it seemed as if the warlock wasn't all that strictly against being tied up.

Not wanting to give her big brother a heart attack, Izzy decided not to voice that thought right now.

*

Magnus didn't think this was the right time to discuss possible additions to their bedroom activities. Especially since their bedroom seemed to be in ruins right now.

"Alexander, I would have been the first to tell you to tie me up so I couldn't hurt you had I known what I was doing. Of course, if I had known what I was doing, I never would have hurt you."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

Alexander still looked unconvinced.

"What else did I do? I want you to tell me everything, Alexander. I _need_ to know!"

Magnus focused pleading eyes on Alexander's face.

*

Alec sighed and gave in. He would have liked to spare Magnus the knowledge, but if his boyfriend really wanted to know, even insisted, then he had to tell him.

Alec had to admit that if it had been the other way around, if he had been the one unable to remember an entire night of his life, he most definitely would want to know.

So he started again, from the beginning. This time, he didn't leave anything out. Not the elbow to the ribs, not the forearm to the belly, not the incident with the cup or the way Magnus had been less lucid every time he woke up.

He couldn't remember the words Magnus had spoken in the foreign language he hadn't recognized, but he did tell his boyfriend what he remembered of the French.

*

Magnus listened to Alexander and winced every time his boyfriend mentioned another injury. He wanted to examine every inch of that lithe body to check the extent and severity of the injuries, but his head was throbbing and he didn't think he would get very far if he tried to sit up.

"But, Alexander… why didn't you activate you _iratze_? It would have taken care of those injuries!"

"Because I left my stele with my clothes and I didn't dare leave your side!"

*

Izzy had followed the conversation in silence but made a startled sound at that last admission.

"You did _what_?" she exclaimed. "Alec, have you forgotten what we were taught?"

She saw her brother blush and fidget at her question but didn't relent. "Never, _ever_ , leave your stele somewhere where you can't immediately reach it!"

Her brother flinched at her harsh tone, and she continued in a slightly softer voice:

"Alec, you need to be more careful. What if someone or something had actually come in here and attacked you? Magnus wouldn't have been able to fight. Did you at least keep a weapon at hand?"

Alec's sheepish look spoke volumes.

 _"Alec!_ Hodge would have your head for that! _"_

*

Magnus lifted one hand to draw Isabelle's attention.

"I may not be able to actively use magic right now, but my wards are strong and undamaged. The someone or something that gets into my home would have to be quite powerful," he reminded her.

Then he focused on his boyfriend. "I'm flattered that you apparently feel completely safe with me, but I don't want you to be careless. I've seen good people die through carelessness – their own or that of others."

Magnus sighed at the dejected look on Alexander's face. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of your life with you. _Please_ be more careful. Keep your stele and a weapon within easy reach, no matter where you are or who you are with."

He coughed, not used anymore to talking so much at once.

*

Alec lowered his eyes. Of course he remembered their lessons. He should have kept his stele with him. Magnus was right, carelessness got a Shadowhunter killed.

He reached out to link his hand with that of his boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Magnus. I promise I will be more careful from now on. I want to spend the rest of my life with you!"

Magnus' answering smile made his stomach flutter.

Their moment was interrupted by Izzy. "Good. Don't think I won't dump you on your ass if you ever forget. Now, what happened next?!"

*

Loath as Magnus was to focus on anything but Alexander's eyes and the warm hand holding his, he most definitely wanted the answer to Isabelle's question.

"Yes, Alexander, what happened then?" A thought occurred to him. "Wait. If you already knew how unpredictable my actions during my nightmares could be, how did I manage to get the drop on you and use my magic?"

Magnus watched in fascination as Alexander's face turned a deep red.

*

Alec squirmed under Magnus' gaze. He could feel his face radiate heat. His boyfriend had the right to know the truth, though. He sighed.

"It was during your worst nightmare. You were writhing and thrashing and muttering in, I think, Chthonic. Nothing I did calmed you down, not even lullabies."

Remembering the helplessness he'd felt made him clench his hands, gripping his boyfriend's hand tightly. Alec didn't even realize that the embarrassment he felt in this situation made him slip into his well-practiced 'report mode'.

"Then I suddenly saw the first sparks of magic gather around your hands and immediately grabbed your hands and held them down. That fever seemed to amplify your strength and I needed better leverage."

By the Angel, had Magnus been strong.

"I sat down on your thighs so I could hold you down better. You kept struggling and I wouldn't let go and it kind of turned into a question of which of us could hold on longer. Then you opened your eyes, but you didn't recognize me or our home. You were frantic and screaming at me."

*

Magnus tensed as soon as Alexander told him how he'd gained better leverage. He immediately started to suspect what might have made his boyfriend let go of his hands.

And as much as he dreaded the confirmation of his suspicion, he did want to, no, _needed_ to know.

So Magnus clamped down on his urge to apologize for what he thought he had done and refrained from interrupting Alexander.

Instead, he squeezed his boyfriend's hand reassuringly and gave him his undivided attention.

*

Alec squeezed back, glad for the physical contact.

"You were already sweating because of the fever, and all the struggling only made it worse. Your hands grew slippery, and I knew I'd have to do something or I'd lose my grip."

He thought he could hear Izzy snigger quietly and decided to ignore her.

"I wanted to wipe my hands dry on the sheets, so I leaned forward and changed my grip so I could hold both your hands with one. You immediately seized the opportunity and kneed me in the groin!"

Now Izzy was howling with laughter, and Alec had to shout to make himself heard. "It's not funny, Iz! Do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

Before Izzy could react, another voice sounded from the doorway. "What in Raziel's name is going on here?"


	21. Chapter 21

Jace had rushed to the provided address as soon as he'd received the messages.

The door had been opened by a very tired-looking Catarina Loss in a fluffy dark blue bathrobe. She had handed him a small bag, informed him that she'd included more mundane painkillers for Magnus and that Alec needed to take his task of taking care of Magnus more seriously – and shut the door in his face.

Jace had shrugged it off – he didn't expect hospitality from someone who'd just come off duty – and gone to Magnus' apartment.

Once there, he'd immediately made his way to the master bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks at the scene he'd walked into: his rather naked _parabatai_ sitting on the bed with a pillow on his lap and dried blood from a wound on the back of his right shoulder coating said shoulder and part of the right arm and painting red rivulets on the appendage, Magnus, in pajamas, in bed and holding Alec's hand, Izzy sitting on the edge of the bed, laughing her ass off, and the whole bedroom looking like a battlefield.

"What in Raziel's name is going on here?" was all he managed to say.

*

Startled by the familiar voice he hadn't expected to hear right now, Alec whipped around and tried to get up, dropping the pillow in the process.

"Jace! Wha-?"

The sudden movement made pain explode in his head and dark spots appear in his vision. The room seemed to be spinning and Alec fell backwards onto the bed as his vision went dark.

"Alec!"

"Alexander!"

Alec heard the shouts and lifted his hand to show the others that he wasn't unconscious. He just needed a moment. Or maybe several moments.

His head was throbbing even more since it had connected with the sheets, his right shoulder was in agony, the pain radiating out from his belly hadn't dulled even a little and now there was a sharp sting in his left foot. Apparently he was unable to leave the bed which meant he couldn't get to his stele. Oh, _and_ he had lost the pillow.

*

Jace dropped to one knee with a pained groan as his _parabatai_ 's pain hit him all of a sudden. It was impossible for him to single out one source of pain from the agony he shared with his _parabatai_ for several moments.

The only explanation for the lack of pain before now and the sudden flare-up in this moment was that Alec had suppressed their connection during the night – probably after his phone call – and the onslaught of pain right now had overwhelmed his control momentarily. They were going to have words about that later!

He could tell the instant Alec gained back control over their bond because the pain in his own body vanished from one second to the next, although Jace thought he could still feel a faint echo.

Getting back to his feet, he saw Izzy reach out with her stele, across Magnus' body, to activate Alec's _iratze_.

"Izzy, wait!"

*

Izzy froze mid-motion and shot Jace a questioning look.

"Why? I should have insisted he let me activate his _iratze_ the moment I arrived. This is ridiculous."

She saw Jace shake his head.

"Did you check his wounds for any signs of dirt or embedded fragments? With all the stuff lying around we shouldn't risk closing wounds without taking a look at them first. Why is he naked anyway?"

Izzy pulled her hand back and stood up to carefully walk around the bed. Jace was right, she should have checked for contamination of the wounds. She kind of wanted to slap herself for not thinking of it earlier. Luckily, it wasn't too late yet.

"I'm going to let Alec explain _that_ to you as soon as we've taken care of his wounds. Now, I need a few things from the bathroom and then I need you and your witchlight stone so I can actually see what I'm doing."

*

Magnus had reached out for Alexander the moment he'd seen him fall but had only managed to make the pain in his own head exponentially worse.

He leaned back with a muffled groan, one hand pressed to his mouth. Why did he have to be so useless right now?

It was _his fault_ that Alexander was injured and in pain, and now he couldn't even help his boyfriend, couldn't heal him. After Alexander had worked himself to exhaustion taking care of him, Magnus couldn't even take away the pain he had caused!

He wouldn't be surprised if Alexander decided after all this that he would be better off with a different partner!

*

Alec hadn't wanted to share his pain with Jace. He'd made sure to suppress the bond so as not to disturb his _parabatai_. This wasn't combat, and Jace was doing enough for him already.

He'd simply lost control because of the intense pain and the dizziness and the confusion. Why was his foot hurting now as well? He hadn't done anything to— Oh. The debris all over the bedroom. He must have stepped on some of it.

Considering the damage Magnus' magic had caused, Alec decided it was probably a good idea to actually let Izzy check his wounds for embedded fragments.

He sighed and relaxed back against the sheets. It took conscious effort to do so with all the pain and dizziness. Besides, he was also acutely aware that he was still stark naked.

*

Jace nodded at Izzy and carefully picked his way towards the bed so he could put the bag Catarina had given him on the nightstand. Then he pulled the covers up between Alec and Magnus and draped them over his _parabatai_ 's midsection.

"While I still want an explanation for all this, there are some things I don't need to see," he explained.

When Izzy returned from the bathroom, Jace took his witchlight stone from his pocket and waited for his sister to tell him where to aim the light.

*

Once Izzy had retrieved tweezers and a towel, she walked back over to the bed. A quick look at Alec's body told her that there was a lot of work waiting for her.

She started with the cut on her brother's right shoulder. It had bled so much that she was almost certain there was nothing left in the wound that didn't belong there, but she still examined the injury carefully, by the light of Jace' witchlight stone. She'd been right.

Izzy worked her way down the back of her brother's body, moving the covers out of the way where necessary. When she reached Alec's left foot, she saw a small cut on the sole, near the toes. For a moment, something glinted in the light and Izzy took a closer look.

Gently lifting Alec's foot by the ankle, Izzy placed the towel underneath and lowered the appendage again.

"Jace, I need the light right there," she said as she pointed at the wound.

When the light from the witchlight stone hit the cut, she could clearly make out a shard of glass.

"Hold still now, Alec," she cautioned as she reached out and closed the tweezers around the piece. One gentle tug, followed by a hiss by Alec and a small twitch, and the glass was out.

They helped Alec turn over onto his back so they could examine the injuries on his front but didn't find any open wounds there that needed to be checked.

"You can activate his _iratze_ now," Izzy told Jace.

*

Alec lay still and watched as Jace bent over him to better reach his _iratze_. He felt a slight burn at the moment of activation and then sagged in sudden relief, melting into the mattress with a deep sigh.

It was amazing. His head was no longer throbbing, his shoulder had stopped hurting, his face didn't feel swollen anymore, the pain radiating out from his belly had stopped and the twinge in his left foot was gone.

He was most definitely _never_ going to let his stele out of his reach again!

Since he was feeling so much better, Alec tried to sit up – and sank back in surprise when the movement made him dizzy. What was going on?

"Easy there, big brother," Izzy told him. "You lost quite a bit of blood. You need to rest and make sure you drink enough."

Alec scowled at his sister. "I need to take care of Magnus. Why didn't you draw an _Amissio_ on me?"

Izzy put her hands on her hips. "Because _you_ insisted you could take care of yourself and didn't need my help. You were adamant I go treat Magnus instead." She huffed. "Besides, you're injury had stopped bleeding already. The _iratze_ closed the wound, thus preventing further blood loss, and if you rest for a few hours and drink enough water, you'll be fine."

She let her gaze take in the destruction in the room. "It will probably take Jace and me that long to get both of you settled in the guest bedroom for now and clean up this mess."

Alec glared at her. "It would go faster if I could help."

Izzy just shrugged. "You can keep Magnus company."

 _That_ was not the answer Alec had hoped for.

*

Magnus reached out to rest his hand on Alexander's forearm. "Would it really be so bad to stay with me for a few hours, Alexander?"

"Wha—? I… _no_!" Alexander stammered and rolled onto his side so he was facing Magnus. "I just want to be able to take care of you, Magnus!"

Magnus squeezed his arm. "And you will, after a few hours of rest. Your sister said so. Let Isabelle and Jace help out and stay with me. Please."

The last thing Magnus wanted was for Alexander to work past his limits again in order to take care of him. He didn't particularly like the idea of having to ask _Jace_ of all people to carry him to the bathroom, but maybe it wouldn't come to that…

*

Izzy left it to Magnus to make Alec see reason and inspected the supplies instead. Catarina had included another type of painkillers and a short message.

_This is ibuprofen, a mundane painkiller. Give it to Magnus during the day until his head is healed. Use at need, but no more than three pills a day._

A quick check told Izzy that Catarina had given them enough pills to last them almost a week. Magnus should have beaten Warlock Cold by then and hopefully have his magic back under control. Good.

She fetched a glass of water from the kitchen and sat down on the edge of the bed on Magnus' side.

"Alright, Magnus. Catarina sent us a painkiller for your head. You just need to swallow a pill. Oh, and your antimycotic, of course."

Izzy waited for Magnus to nod slightly before she removed one pill from the package and gave it to him. Then she retrieved one of the pills against the fungus and handed him that as well. She let him put both in his mouth and then helped him sip some water to wash them down.

"It will take a while for the effect of the painkiller to kick in, but I should really treat that gash on your forehead _now_."

*

Since Jace knew that Izzy would call him over if she needed his help, he stayed by Alec's side.

"Track pants?" he asked his _parabatai_.

"Wardrobe. Second door from the left, middle shelf. They won't fit you, though," Alec replied, a little confused. Why would Jace need track pants now?

"They're not for me. I just figured you might want to put some clothes on before I help you to the guest bedroom." Jace was already on his way to the wardrobe, watching his steps so as not to slip or stumble on the debris.

Oh. "In that case, bring me shorts from the second drawer from the top as well," Alec called after him.

Jace could have happily lived the rest of his life without ever going through his _parabatai_ 's underwear drawer but he did as Alec asked and dumped both items on the bed.

"I'll leave you to get dressed. Go slowly so you don't fall over again. Where do I find a broom so I can clear a path to the door?"

"Kitchen," Alec replied as he grabbed the shorts to put them on under the covers. "Thanks, Jace."

*

Magnus swallowed the pills and grimaced. He probably shouldn't have placed them on his tongue. The taste was awful.

He also didn't like to think about how much treating the wound before the painkiller took effect would hurt. Since Magnus could still feel blood running down his face, he agreed that the injury should be taken care of without further delay though. He would just have to grit his teeth and bear the pain.

*

Izzy fetched a bowl of water and a washcloth from the bathroom and began to gently clean the worst of the blood off Magnus' face so she could get a better look at the wound.

Although she put as little pressure on the skin around the gash as she could, Magnus winced from time to time.

Izzy then pulled out her witchlight stone and carefully examined the wound for any foreign objects still embedded in it. She was reasonably sure that the blood would have washed out any remaining particles of whatever had caused the injury but wasn't going to take any chances.

"I need to disinfect the wound now, Magnus. That will sting a bit. Since Catarina sent a disinfectant spray, you should probably close your eyes. Just to be on the safe side."

Magnus obeyed without question, and Izzy applied the spray generously on and around the gash.

Magnus inhaled sharply.

"Already done, Magnus," Izzy soothed. "Now I just need to close the wound and then we're done."

She waited a moment for the last bit of disinfectant to dry and then wiped away the fresh blood. Aligning the edges of the wound gently with the fingers of one hand, she fixed them in place with butterfly bandages.

"Done," she announced. "Now we should clean you up a bit."

*

Alec took his time getting dressed. He was still feeling a bit dizzy and didn't want to get scolded – again – for overdoing it. Besides, he couldn't get out of bed right now anyway since Jace had only just returned with the broom and a glass of water. The latter went onto the nightstand next to Alec.

When Alec had finally managed to pull up his track pants, Jace was halfway done clearing a path to his side of the bed.

Alec turned his head and watched Izzy patch up Magnus. It was a strange feeling to see her place strips of something white over the gash, apparently closing the wound with it. He was used to Magnus just fixing minor – and major – injuries with a bit of magic or maybe a potion. He decided he'd be _very_ glad once his boyfriend had his magic back.

Alec also secretly agreed with Izzy that Magnus needed to be cleaned up and dressed in fresh pajamas. He wanted to be the one to help his boyfriend with that instead of being confined to the bed!

*

Magnus looked over at Alexander, who was still in bed with him but had apparently put on pants while he was being treated by Isabelle, then at Jace, who was busy sweeping the floor, and finally at Isabelle. He would have preferred to let Alexander clean him up but understood that it would be stupid to sit around in blood-soaked pajamas for hours without need. If he could choose between the other two, he would most definitely prefer Isabelle to help him get dressed.

"My pajamas are in the wardrobe. Middle door, top shelf," he told her, hoping that she would not delegate taking care of him to Jace.

*

Izzy nodded and then carefully picked her way to the wardrobe.

"Jace, can you clear a path to Magnus' side of the bed first?" she asked her brother. "I want to clean him up and get him settled in the guest bedroom. And I don't fancy stepping into any glass shards or other kinds of debris while doing so."

Jace sketched a quick salute and immediately changed the direction of his sweeping as requested.

Izzy had meanwhile found Magnus' pajamas and took one to the guest bedroom to place it on the bed there.

The she returned to sit with Magnus until Jace had cleared a path to the door for them.

*

Alec felt useless, confined to the bed as he was. He couldn't even wash the drying blood off his own back, shoulder and arm, much less help anyone else.

All he could do was watch as Jace worked hard to clear a section of the floor and Izzy prepared to relocate Magnus to the guest bedroom.

Alec sighed and closed his eyes, all the things he should be doing but couldn't running through his mind: Magnus' morning examinations and samples, breakfast for everyone – Izzy and Jace would be hungry after all that work –, Magnus' morning IV, transferring Magnus' and his things to the guest bedroom,…

*

Magnus felt relieved that Isabelle apparently had no intentions whatsoever to ask Jace to clean him up. He waited patiently for the path to the door to be declared sufficiently free of debris.

After a while, he had the impression that the pain in his head had dulled a little. Bit by bit, it lessened further. Magnus decided he hadn't given mundane medicine enough credit in the past. He preferred the use of his magic, of course, but the mundanes had developed some pretty useful things, it seemed.

*

"Alright, the path to the door is clear, Iz."

Izzy smiled at Jace. "Thanks." Then she turned back around to Magnus. "Okay, Magnus. We're going to do this really slow. I can't put an _iratze_ on you, for obvious reasons, and your wound and blood loss may make you dizzy or nauseous when I move you. If that happens, tell me immediately."

Magnus nodded. Reluctance was evident in his whole posture.

Izzy very slowly reached out for the buttons of Magnus' pajama top. "We're going to leave this here. There's no need for us to drag the blood through half the apartment."

When Magnus didn't object, she unbuttoned the garment and gently lifted the warlock off the sheets slightly to slide the fabric off his shoulders and down his arms. "All right so far?"

Magnus nodded again.

Izzy still waited a moment before she raised Magnus' torso a few inches further.

Bit by bit, they worked their way up to Magnus sitting upright and still claiming to feel fine. Izzy thought he looked a bit pale though.

She supported the warlock for a few minutes so he wouldn't sink back onto the mattress as he took deep calming breaths.

Once some color had returned to Magnus' face, Izzy went to one knee next to the bed. At the warlock's confused look, she explained. "I'm going to pick you up now. You can make it easier for both of us by wrapping your arm around my shoulders and leaning into me. Tell me at once if you get dizzy or nauseous at any point, okay?"

"Okay. Let's do this," Magnus replied and reached out to put his arm around Izzy's shoulders.

Izzy wrapped one arm around his back right below the shoulders and slid the other under his knees. When she stood up slowly, she lifted Magnus with her and he more or less remained in a sitting position.

Magnus immediately leaned against her and tightened his hold on her shoulders slightly.

Izzy stood still for a few moments, waiting to see if the warlock could tolerate being moved.

When nothing happened and Magnus still looked fine, Izzy took a few tentative steps towards the door but stopped as Magnus groaned.

"Magnus, what's wrong?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy," her passenger replied.

"Breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth until it passes," Izzy instructed. "I won't take another step until you're feeling better."

"I'm too heavy for you to spend more time carrying me than absolutely necessary," he protested weakly.

"I'm a trained soldier and you're not _that_ heavy," Izzy assured him, not quite truthfully. She was, of course, a trained soldier and pulling her weight on missions, but Magnus was a lot heavier than anything she routinely had to lift and she hadn't activated her Strength rune. While she was fully capable of fighting on her five-inch heels, those were less than perfect footwear for carrying heavy loads.

Unfortunately though, she was pretty sure that putting Magnus down to take off her shoes and activate the rune would cause the warlock to feel even more like a burden and her brothers to tease her mercilessly about it for the foreseeable future. That thought only hardened Izzy's resolve to see this through. "Besides, you'd feel a lot heavier if you were to lose consciousness. We'll just take this slow."

*

Jace had interrupted his sweeping to watch Izzy's progress. Belatedly he realized he probably should have offered to carry Magnus for her. Knowing his sister would react badly if he made the offer now, he just made sure he stood out of the way and watched.

The slow process made him worry about Izzy's stamina, though. Would she really be able to carry Magnus safely all the way to the guest bedroom if she had to stop every few steps and wait for another bout of dizziness or nausea to pass? In those ridiculously high heels no less?

Jace decided to keep at least one eye on Izzy so he could help out if she showed signs of tiring.

*

Magnus was taking deep breaths the way Isabelle had recommended. He really didn't want to drag this out longer than absolutely necessary. As soon as the dizziness receded slightly, he nodded to Isabelle to indicate it was safe to continue.

He leaned further into her and concentrated on keeping his stomach contents down as she took a few more slow steps towards the door. Just a few more steps, he kept telling himself. Just a little bit further and he'd be in a soft, comfortable bed again.

It was no use. Isabelle had just walked through the bedroom door into the hallway when Magnus' stomach lurched and he had to press the back of his free hand to his mouth and swallow convulsively.

Isabelle stopped walking right away. "Magnus? Are you okay?"

Magnus couldn't answer her worried question because he was too busy keeping his stomach contents where they belonged.

*

Izzy stayed very still so as not to aggravate Magnus' stomach even further. She was somewhat worried she might end up covered in puke long before they ever reached the guest bedroom but reminded herself that both she and her clothes were, in fact, washable. Her main concern right now should be getting Magnus to a bed, safe and sound.

So she waited for the warlock to look up and nod slightly before she took a few more cautious steps towards their destination. Izzy kept one eye on Magnus and stilled the moment his hand twitched towards his face again.

"Jace, get out here and bring a bucket!" she called towards the master bedroom. In a lower voice she added towards the warlock "Just in case. You're looking pretty pale, and I don't want to take any chances."

*

Alec's eyes followed Izzy and Magnus until he realized something: if he and Jace were watching the other two then nobody was working on clearing a path for _him_ to the door and he'd be stuck in bed even longer.

He could, of course, crawl over to the other side of the bed and then follow the path Izzy had taken with Magnus, but the sheets on that side were sticky with blood and he'd need fresh pants – again.

Besides, Izzy had told him not to get up yet, and the last two times he'd tried to leave his horizontal position he'd gotten so dizzy he had to abort those attempts. Now he wasn't even sure he actually _could_ get up and walk to the guest bedroom on his own.

But maybe he could speed up things a little…

Alec carefully leaned over the edge of the bed and reached out with one hand to start clearing away the bits of debris right next to the bed.

He moved slowly and made sure to mostly leave his head in the same position the entire time. Just in case.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Alec raised his eyes to meet his _parabatai_ 's gaze. "Helping you clear a path to the door, of course."

Jace frowned at him. "You're supposed to rest!"

Before Alec could point out that he was still lying in bed and just making good use of his arm length, they heard Izzy call out for Jace and a bucket.

"Bathroom," Alec answered the question before Jace could voice it. A moment later, Alec was alone in the bedroom and worrying about Magnus' condition.


	22. Chapter 22

Jace carried the bucket to Izzy at a brisk walk. His sister had sounded urgent, and he really didn't want her to call for a mop next.

When he reached Izzy and Magnus, the warlock looked definitely paler than he had back in the bedroom. Jace didn't know whether the sight of the bucket had triggered Magnus' gag reflex or arriving with the bucket right now was just incredibly good timing, but the warlock bent his head over the bucket immediately and brought up everything he still had in his stomach.

Jace held the bucket steady and took shallow breaths through his mouth to avoid as much of the smell as he possibly could. Unfortunately, he couldn't tune out the sounds. Magnus had reached the point where there was nothing left for him to bring up, and his dry-heaving sounded painful.

When Magnus finally sunk back against Izzy, looking pale and exhausted, Izzy's eyes traveled from Magnus to the bucket to Jace and back. "This isn't working," she declared. "This should have been the easiest and safest position to carry him."

Jace nodded, but didn't quite know where she was going with this. They had to get the warlock to a clean bed.

"Unfortunately, it makes him worse, though. He needs to be carried lying as flat as possible. Since I can't change my grip sufficiently without putting Magnus down first, it would be best if you took over, Jace."

Jace gave her a surprised look before he placed the bucket against the wall. "Alright, so how are we going to do this?"

Izzy smiled. "I transfer Magnus to you. You place your arms where mine are now but adjust Magnus' position as I let go so he's lying on your arms, not sitting."

"Okay," Jace replied. That shouldn't be too difficult. "Try not to puke on me," he told the warlock.

*

Magnus felt mortified. It was bad enough that _Alexander_ , and to some extent Isabelle, had seen him at his worst, but vomiting into a bucket _Jace_ was holding for him was a new low. Still, at least he hadn't puked on the floor, or worse, on Isabelle.

He _really_ hated Warlock Cold. He'd known it was a bad disease, of course, ever since he'd first read about it. However, letters on a page just couldn't convey how truly frightening and dangerous and painful and embarrassing it was to go through a Warlock Cold.

Magnus felt himself be shifted from Isabelle to Jace. It was a strange feeling when he was moved to an almost flat position during that transfer.

He was mentally debating the pros and cons of resting his head on Jace' shoulder and wrapping an arm around his neck when he realized he was too far down for either move. His only option was to lean his head against Jace' upper arm at an awkward angle. So he did that. Anything that avoided additional movement of his head was welcome.

"Alright, let's try this. Tell me if you feel any worse," Jace' voice sounded from above him.

Magnus just hummed in agreement, wanting this to be over as quickly as possible. He was reasonably certain that Jace wouldn't drop him or bump him into anything, but being carried by him just lacked the feeling of comfort and safety and being-cared-for that being carried by Alexander always gave him.

"Slow steps, Jace. You need to make sure you jostle Magnus as little as possible," Isabelle told her brother.

"Yeah, Iz. I'm not stupid. You might want to bring the bucket anyway. Just in case."

Magnus didn't look up but heard the sound of the bucket being picked up. Then they were moving again. He braced for dizziness and nausea to get worse again and was more than a little surprised when that didn't happen. The position he was in wasn't really comfortable, but at least they were finally making progress on their way to the guest bedroom.

*

Izzy followed Jace and Magnus into the guest bedroom and closed the door behind herself.

"Best put Magnus down in the bathtub. We need to wash the blood off before he puts on clean pajamas."

She walked past her brother quickly and opened the bathroom door for him.

Jace walked into the room and gently lowered Magnus into the empty tub. When he rose and turned around to leave, Izzy grabbed his wrist.

"Jace, wait."

He turned back around and looked at her expectantly.

"Maybe it would be better if you were the one to help Magnus wash and get to bed. It will be easier for you to lift him out of the tub and carry him to the bed without aggravating his symptoms."

Jace seemed to consider this for a moment before he nodded. "Okay, sounds sensible. Someone should stay with Alec, though, or he might be so worried he tries to get up on his own again."

Izzy grimaced. "Yeah. I'll go keep an eye on him in a moment." She didn't even want to try and imagine what her big brother might be getting up to right now.

"Use a washcloth to clean Magnus' face and be careful when you wash his hair so you don't get the wound wet. I'll bring you towels to dry Magnus off afterwards, and the pajamas are on the bed," she told Jace.

He nodded and turned towards Magnus as Izzy went to fetch two towels.

When she put them down next to the tub, Jace was helping Magnus out of his pajama pants.

Izzy left the room.

*

Alec had strained his ears for any sounds from the hallway. He'd thought he heard retching for a short while, and not long after that retreating footsteps. Now he was waiting.

Jace hadn't returned, which probably meant that Izzy had enlisted his help in getting Magnus to the guest bedroom. What was taking them so long, though?

He'd continued moving bits of debris aside as he waited, but now there was nothing in his reach anymore. Even long arms had their limits.

Alec sighed. He wanted to be by Magnus' side again, but he wasn't even sure he could get up.

Well, he wouldn't find out by lying in bed and waiting for his siblings to return. If he was careful and went slow there wasn't any risk to it, right?

Alec stayed on his side and used his arms to push himself a few inches off the mattress. The moment he felt the slightest bit dizzy, he lowered himself a fraction of an inch again and waited, taking deep, slow breaths.

Repeating the process several times, Alec slowly worked his way up to a sitting position with his feet flat on the bit of floor he had cleared earlier.

His eyes fell on the glass of water on the nightstand. Izzy had said he needed to drink enough water so his body could replace the blood he'd lost. Alec picked up the glass and emptied it with slow, steady sips before putting it back down.

He was just contemplating his options, or more precisely: his chances of standing up without falling flat on his face, when a voice from the doorway interrupted him.

"You're supposed to rest!"

"I'm resting," he replied. "I'm still in bed." After a look at his feet, he amended "Well, most of me is."

Izzy shook her head in exasperation. "Have you ever heard of patience, big brother? We weren't going to forget you in here."

Alec shrugged. "You were busy helping Magnus, and I feel fine. How is Magnus?"

*

Izzy was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Alec and had just finished bringing him up to speed on Magnus' condition.

"Don't worry, Alec. Magnus may not be used to healing the mundane way, but he'll manage. He'll probably feel nauseous and dizzy until tomorrow at the most. There may be short bouts of it in the days to come and he should work a healing spell once he has his power back under control."

At Alec's dejected look, she grasped her brother's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Hey, look at the bright side, big brother: Both you and Magnus have survived the magical accident, and Magnus' fever is down again. Those are good things. The head wound will heal."

Alec sighed. "Yes, that is good. I'm just worried about Magnus and I want to be by his side and see him with my own eyes."

Izzy smiled at him. Oh, her big brother had it _so bad_. "Then I guess we should get you to him. Promise me to stay right here while I finish clearing a path for us and I'll help you to the guest bedroom."

"Deal," Alec said without any hesitation.

"Good." Izzy stood up, grabbed the broom and started clearing a path for them.

*

Now that Magnus was in the bathtub and Jace had divested him of his pajama pants, he actually was glad he hadn't insisted that Isabelle take care of him. She'd seen more than enough of his body already because of this disease.

It hurt a bit when Jace removed the remaining blood from his face with a washcloth but he could tell the young Shadowhunter was trying to be gentle.

"Can you tilt your head back a little so I can wash your hair?" Jace asked him.

Magnus didn't know if his head would tolerate the movement, but decided to at least try. He leaned his head back very slowly. It wasn't comfortable, but bearable.

"You might want to hurry," he informed Jace, unsure how long he would be able to hold that position.

Magnus closed his eyes as Jace washed his hair, mostly leaving out the strands above his forehead so as not to get the wound wet.

"Keep your head back a moment longer," Jace instructed as he turned off the water.

Next, Magnus felt the touch of a soft towel to his head that gently squeezed the water from his hair and was then wrapped around his head.

"Now you can tilt your head forward again," Jace informed him.

Magnus immediately did so, glad to be in a more comfortable position again. He even enjoyed the warm water running over his skin, washing away the remaining blood and sweat. He almost regretted it when Jace shut off the water, carefully lifted him from the tub onto the bathmat and gently patted him dry with another towel.

Jace then picked him up the same way he'd carried him into the bathroom and put him down again on the bed.

"Do you need help with that?" he asked and pointed to Magnus' pajamas.

"Yes," Magnus admitted grudgingly. He would have preferred to be able to dress himself, but it just wasn't possible right now.

Jace didn't comment, but merely picked up the pajama top, helped Magnus slide it up his arms and then buttoned it up. He had some trouble with the buttons since he was used to closing them from the other side, but he managed eventually.

Magnus lay down on the bed and let Jace pull the pajama pants over his feet, up his legs and over his hips. That last part took a few tries, making it glaringly obvious that the young Shadowhunter wasn't used to dressing anyone but himself.

But inexperienced as he may have been as a caretaker, he made sure Magnus was settled comfortably and pulled the covers up to his chin.

"Do you need anything else, Magnus? A glass of water or a cup of tea maybe?"

Magnus hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to have to use the bathroom as long as Alexander was incapable of assisting him but his mouth felt pretty dry.

"A cup of tea would be nice, thank you. There might even be tea left in the thermos from last night. It should be in the kitchen."

*

Izzy leaned the broom against the wall and walked over to the bed where Alec was still sitting.

"How are you feeling? Any dizziness?"

Alec looked up at his sister. "I'm fine. No dizziness at all. Can we go now?" His tone clearly showed his impatience.

"Yes."

Izzy held up a hand as her brother moved to get up. "Wait. Not like this."

Alec looked at her in surprise. Not like this? If they wanted to go to the guest bedroom, he needed to get up first. Surely Izzy didn't plan to carry _him_ as well?

Izzy stepped closer until she was standing right next to him and held out a hand to him. "Let me help you get up – slowly! – and put your arm around my shoulders as soon as you're standing." Even with her high heels, this solution was anything but ideal. He'd have to stoop to use her as support.

Alec gave her a look filled with indignation. "I'm fine, Iz!" He didn't need his little sister to pull him to his feet!

"Alec, you lost a lot of blood," Izzy explained patiently. "You feel fine now because you've been sitting here for a while and your body got used to it. You may still get dizzy once you stand up. I'm just trying to help."

When Alec still didn't make any move to grab her hand, she added "Magnus is waiting for you. If you fall over and I have to remove more debris from fresh wounds it will be even longer until you're with him."

 _That_ finally did the trick.

Grudgingly, Alec took the offered hand and let Izzy assist him in getting up. The moment he was standing upright, the room began to spin and he stumbled a step forward, grabbing his sister's shoulder out of reflex.

Izzy moved with him and wrapped one arm around his waist to steady him further. "Alec," she asked with some concern, "do you need to sit down again?"

Alec didn't think shaking his head would be a good idea right now. "No," he rasped. "I'll be fine." Clinging tightly to his sister's shoulder, he kept taking slow, deep breaths until the dizziness receded.

Izzy was a steady presence next to him, not talking or urging him on. She was just there for him for as long as he needed her.

Alec was immensely grateful for his family as he stood there, held steady by Izzy's support and just waited for his body to adjust.

Finally, he smiled at his sister. "Okay, I'm good. Let's go."

*

Izzy stayed by Alec's side until she was convinced he was in no danger of falling over. Then she removed her arm she'd wrapped around his back.

"Iz?"

"I think you can walk without my help now, Alec." Since they were in the hallway already, there was nothing for him to trip on or fall onto if she was wrong.

Alec, trusting his sister's judgment, lifted his arm from around her shoulders and took a few tentative steps. He felt fine, and the dizziness didn't return.

Izzy had stayed by his side, ready to catch him in case she'd been wrong. Now she smiled up at Alec. "Let's get back to our main patient. I still need fresh samples."

*

Magnus looked up when the bedroom door opened and smiled in relief as Alexander walked into the room, bare-chested and with dried blood on his neck and shoulders, but on his own two feet. The next moment, he frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be resting, Alexander?" he asked, voice laced with concern.

Alexander smiled at him. "But I _did_ rest. Now I'm fine. I just need a shower. How are _you_ , Magnus?"

"I'm fine. I even had a cup of tea already. Where is Isabelle?"

"She's getting the medical supplies from our bedroom. Where's Jace?"

That wasn't exactly what Magnus had been hoping to hear. He'd kind of figured that the night's events would mean there'd be no morning examinations. "Cleaning the bucket," he answered his boyfriend's question absentmindedly.

Alexander walked over to the bed and leaned down for a gentle kiss. "How's your head?"

Magnus shrugged. "It's been better. Also, after this short experiment with the joys of mundane healing, I've come to the conclusion that I prefer healing spells."

Alexander chuckled. "You'd have to be mad not to." He turned serious again. "Although I have to say that this past week I've been very glad for the help mundane medicine was."

"Me, too," Magnus admitted. As he saw Isabelle enter with the bags of medical supplies, he added: "I like some aspects of it better than others."

Alexander followed his gaze and laughed. "I'm sorry, Magnus. I know you don't like it – and I wouldn't either – but it is necessary. Just for a few more days. Jace said that a Warlock Cold lasts between seven and fourteen days, so it should be over soon."

Magnus didn't feel particularly encouraged by that. Who knew what else might happen in the next few days? He wanted to be rid of this disease _right now_!

*

Jace placed the rinsed bucket in the bathtub upside-down to let it dry before he walked into the bedroom.

"Alec, how are you feeling?" he asked his _parabatai_ , surprised to see him standing in the room.

Alec looked over his shoulder and smiled at him. "I'm fine. Thank you for helping Magnus."

"You're welcome." He noticed Izzy, who was placing the supplies against the wall. "Do you need any help, Iz?"

Izzy looked up at him and shook her head. "Thanks, but I should have all the supplies here with one more trip. You could sweep the rest of the floor in the bedroom and bathroom so Alec can get everything they need later."

*

Izzy and Jace were setting the table as Alec reheated enough of his mother's stew for three. It was one in the afternoon already, and they were all hungry.

Izzy had taken the samples she needed, performed the morning examinations on Magnus and attached the nutrition solution before going to the master bedroom to help Jace clear the floor of debris.

Alec had taken a quick shower and retrieved the Magnus Monitor from their bedroom. Miraculously, neither of the units was damaged, as he saw after wiping some dust off both. He'd put the transmitter on the nightstand in the guest bedroom and taken the receiver with him to the kitchen to heat some broth for Magnus.

His boyfriend had eaten the saltines he'd offered him together with the broth with great appetite and then emptied the bowl of broth as well. Alec chose to take that as a good sign.

When the stew was hot, Alec transferred the pot to the table. His siblings had poured three glasses of water and were sitting at the table already.

"Dig in!" Alec encouraged them as he sat down as well.

Jace sniffed. "Is that Maryse' stew?"

Alec chuckled. "Good nose. Yes, it is. Mom made it when she stayed the night. I thought we could all use a mom-cooked meal right now."

*

They'd wolfed down the stew and cleaned up the kitchen together. Jace had demanded to be told what exactly had happened during the night to leave them and the bedroom in the state they'd been in in the morning. Alec had told him and suffered his _parabatai_ 's unrestrained mirth at most of the night's events. In contrast to Izzy though, Jace had been very sympathetic when Alec told him how Magnus had managed to free his hands to use magic.

Afterwards, they'd gone back to the master bedroom to collect the bloody sheets so Izzy and Jace could wash them. Alec was removing the pillowcases while Izzy was disentangling the heap of blankets and duvet at the foot end of the bed and Jace opened a big bag and placed it next to the bed.

"I'm sorry," Alec told his siblings.

"For what?" Izzy asked, not even looking up from her task.

"You're already doing all the laundry for me, and now I'm saddling you with this," he gestured to the blood-soaked bed, "as well."

Jace grinned at him. "Don't worry about it, Alec. _We_ at least know how to do laundry."

"But… but…" Alec sputtered. "That was just _one time_!"

Izzy laughed.

"That's one time too many for a leather jacket!" Jace claimed, but he was laughing as he said it.

Alec was grinning ruefully. It seemed Jace wasn't going to let him forget about that fiasco any time soon.

Izzy lifted a blanket off the bed and made a noise of surprise. "Look what I found!" She held up the owl plushie that didn't look any worse for wear and was just slightly dusty.

"Hoot Chi Minh!" Alec exclaimed.

"Gesundheit!" Jace called, looking at Alec with raised eyebrows.

Alec was confused for a moment and then chuckled. "No, it's the plushie's name. Magnus named it Hoot Chi Minh."

"He named the plushie?" Jace asked incredulously.

"What? _I_ named _mine_." Alec stated defensively.

" _You_ were a child! _Magnus_ is hundreds of years old!" Jace pointed out the main difference.

"So what?" Alec retorted. "If Magnus wants to name the plushie, he gets to name the plushie. I like the name. It's a good name!"

Izzy stepped between her brothers. "If you want to continue to debate the merits of and proper age for naming a plushie, I will return Hoot Chi Minh to Magnus. I'm sure he's worrying about his companion's fate already."

With both Alec and Jace gaping at her, Izzy left the bedroom.

Alec and Jace looked at each other, speechless for a moment. Then they wordlessly decided to agree to disagree and continued stripping the bed off the sheets and covers and stuffing it all into the large bag.

Jace decided that this was as good a time as any for the conversation that needed to happen between them. "Why did you block our connection during the night?" he asked his _parabatai._

Alec fidgeted under Jace' gaze. "You needed your sleep," he replied quietly.

"My sleep? Alec, _you_ needed help. Have you forgotten already what happened two days ago?"

Alec bristled at the first words and was blushing by the end. "You couldn't have done anything against the fever, though. I just needed to ride it out with Magnus."

Jace shook his head in exasperation. "Maybe I couldn't have done anything against the fever, but we could have taken turns helping Magnus. Hell, I could have helped you restrain him during his nightmares!"

The harsh tone almost made Alec flinch. The worst part was that he knew his _parabatai_ was right about this. If he had called for help the night before, the magical accident might not have happened and Magnus might not have been injured. Which meant it was _his_ fault that his boyfriend was in pain right now. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would get so bad."

Jace didn't relent, though. "Damn it, Alec! I don't want you to be sorry. I want you to understand that you are _not. alone_. with this. You have a family, and friends, who will be there for you any time if you just let them." He sighed. "Don't try to take care of everyone and everything all by yourself, Alec. Call in reinforcements. Not just on the job."

*

Magnus had dozed off and was woken by the sound of the door being opened. He blinked, focused on Isabelle and then saw what she was carrying. "You found Hoot Chi Minh!"

His relieved exclamation made Isabelle smile. "I'm just going to wipe the dust off him before I give him to you," she told Magnus and disappeared into the bathroom.

When she returned to the bedroom and handed the now-clean Hoot Chi Minh over to Magnus, he tucked the surprisingly light and flat plushie under the covers with him and aimed a beaming smile at Isabelle. "Thank you."

"You might want to keep Hoot Chi Minh above the covers for now. The bag should be ready now as well," Isabelle informed Magnus and left the room.

Soon after, Magnus had the now-warm plushie on his stomach and the covers pulled up to his chin.

*

Izzy and Jace left once all the bloody laundry had been collected.

Alec spent the next hour and a half carrying clothes, toiletries, towels and other necessities from the master bedroom to the guest bedroom and putting everything away neatly.

They spent the afternoon much like they had spent the previous ones.

His boyfriend's cough was back in full force and he was still running a fever, but at least the nausea and the stomach cramps had stopped.

Every single trip to the bathroom was a challenge though. Any kind of movement immediately triggered a new bout of dizziness and nausea in Magnus. He didn't always manage to keep the contents of his stomach down.

The ibuprofen had at least dulled the headache as well as the pain in the forehead wound.

The results of the evening examinations were not as good as the day before – which was only logical after the night before. Magnus' blood sugar was way too low again at only 61 mg/dL – most likely due to the nausea and vomiting – and his temperature was still at 103.5 degrees. That was marginally less than earlier that day and thus a good sign, especially since the temperature usually was higher in the evening.

Alec wrote down the results in his notebook and added an amp of glucose to the saline bag before he let the fluid run into Magnus' body.

Dinner meant broth and plain rice for Magnus and hot stew for Alec. He most definitely needed to thank his mother again for it, so he quickly sent her a fire message, wishing her luck and the Angel's protection for her mission as well.

Alec and Magnus went through their evening bathroom routine, before Alec helped Magnus take his medication and crawled into bed with him.

He hesitated to turn off the lights, unsure if he needed to expect more fever-induced nightmares on his boyfriend's side. Since Magnus needed the sleep, Alec forced himself to switch off the lights.

Then he lay awake in near-darkness, listening to every sound his boyfriend made. It took Alec almost two hours to slip into an uneasy sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

_Day 10_

Alec woke to sunlight on his face, but the angle was wrong. _There is no window in that wa— oh._ Now he remembered. They weren't in their bedroom because their bedroom had been turned uninhabitable by Magnus' magic – on accident, but still.

Turning onto his side, Alec saw that his boyfriend was still asleep and snuggled into the pillow, the covers pulled up to his chin. Magnus was sweaty but looked peaceful in his sleep.

Alec resisted the urge to wake his boyfriend with a kiss and slowly got out of bed, doing his best not to disturb Magnus. Then he switched the Magnus Monitor on and took the receiver with him to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

*

Half an hour later, Alec emerged from the bathroom again, clean-shaven, dressed in track pants and a t-shirt and with his hair still wet. One look at the bed confirmed that Magnus was still fast asleep.

Alec glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand – 9 am. Izzy would show up soon. Since there wasn't enough time to give Magnus a bath before his sister arrived, Alec decided to let his boyfriend sleep.

He went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for three.

*

Izzy let herself into the apartment at a quarter past nine and followed the sounds she heard from the kitchen. "Good morning, Alec."

Alec looked back over his shoulder. "Good morning, Iz. Magnus is still asleep. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Just a cup of coffee," Izzy replied. "Is that an invitation?"

Her hopeful tone made Alec chuckle. "Yes, if you're in the mood for blueberry pancakes."

Izzy grinned widely, put down the large bag and sample box she was carrying and began to set the table. "I'm always in the mood for _your_ blueberry pancakes."

*

They spent breakfast talking about the Institute and what Alec had missed – not much – as well as their mother and her mission.

Cradling his half-empty cup of coffee, Alec finally changed the subject back to Magnus' current problem. "How's the research going, Iz? Have you found out something new?"

"There isn't that much else to find, Alec. The antimycotic is effective against the fungus, in my lab as well as in Magnus' body. I will keep looking for other substances that might be even more effective, and I want to monitor Magnus' condition until he is free of the disease to compile as much information about Warlock Cold as possible."

"So you still need the samples?" Alec asked her.

"Yes, why?"

Alec chuckled. "Magnus won't like that. I think he's been hoping that him getting better meant an end to examinations and samples."

Izzy grinned. "Sorry, not yet. Not until I'm convinced he's fully recovered. It surely isn't _that_ bad?"

Alec's eyebrows rose towards his hairline. "How would you like being sick for two weeks, needing other people's help because you're too weak to get up from your bed, and being poked and examined all the time?"

"I hope I would be grateful that I'm getting the help I need," Izzy claimed. "But I'm sure I would hate every minute of it."

"As would I," Alec stated. "Do you have time to stay and chat or do I need to go wake Magnus up?"

After a moment of hesitation, Izzy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Alec, but I need to get back to the Institute soon. It would be best to get the samples now."

Alec nodded. "That's no problem, Iz. Just let me wake Magnus up and take him to the bathroom before you draw the blood."

*

When Izzy entered the bedroom as well after enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen, Magnus was already back in bed with the covers up to his chin and tucked in around him. "Good morning, Izzy," he greeted her, smiling.

"Good morning, Magnus. How are you today?" She walked over to the bed.

Magnus shrugged. "I've been better. I've been worse. I no longer get dizzy or nauseous when Alexander carries me, but moving makes my head hurt." He coughed. "And _that_. The cough seems worse."

"He also still has a fever," Alec added.

"You can take an ibuprofen pill for the headache with your breakfast," Izzy told Magnus. "Examinations first, though."

Magnus' face fell slightly.

"I know it's no fun, but I'll be as quick about it as I can without risking to miss something."

"His temperature's 102.2," Alec spoke up. "I checked when we returned from the bathroom."

Izzy wrote it down in her own notebook before she examined her patient thoroughly.

The head wound she had closed with butterfly bandages showed no sign of infection and seemed to be healing. Magnus' blood pressure was still a bit low and his heart rate higher than she would have liked it to be. His blood sugar was okay given the circumstances and would hopefully improve further now that the warlock was able to eat – and keep down – food again.

Alec was watching her every move, probably eager for the verdict.

Izzy continued the examination. The lymph nodes in Magnus' neck were still swollen, the back of his throat still redder than it was supposed to be and his tongue hadn't lost its white coating.

Next, she listened to Magnus' lungs and frowned. "Your lungs sound wet. Catarina said that would happen once your body gets ready to expel the stuff that collected there. That means you will probably cough up some phlegm during the next few days. Your nose might be runny as well."

"Things to look forward to," Magnus grumbled.

Izzy didn't blame him. While it was a sign that his body was actually winning its fight against the fungus, increased coughing and sneezing and a runny nose were nobody's idea of a good time.

She finished her examination with Magnus' stomach, which was a lot less tender and a lot less rumbly than in the beginning. "Well, your bowel sounds are almost back to normal so there is definite improvement in that area," Izzy told Magnus. "Now I just need fresh blood samples and then I'll give you the nutrition formulation and you can have breakfast."

*

Isabelle had left with the samples already by the time Alexander carried a bowl of broth and a plate of saltines into the bedroom.

Magnus hadn't been sure he needed breakfast. The IV was giving his body everything it needed after all. The moment he smelled a hint of broth, however, he started salivating and suddenly felt famished. Magnus began wolfing down the saltines the moment the plate was within his reach and afterwards emptied the bowl of broth in record time, using the warm liquid to wash down the ibuprofen and antimycotic his boyfriend handed him.

He looked up into Alexander's surprised eyes. "Is there any more?"

The question seemed to confuse his boyfriend, for it took him a moment to reply. "More broth or more saltines?"

"Both?" Magnus answered immediately. "And maybe some rice?"

Alexander smiled at him. "Your wish is my command. The rice will just take a moment," he said and left for the kitchen.

"And some tea," Magnus called after him. He didn't know why he suddenly felt so hungry, but he was going to use it to hopefully regain some energy.

*

Alec was humming as he stood in front of the stove, heating another small pot of broth and boiling some rice. Elderflower tea was already waiting in the thermos. He'd made it while preparing breakfast.

To him, Magnus' returned appetite was a really good sign, so he would bring his boyfriend whatever he requested. He would have to cook something for Magnus again today, though, because there was only one container of broth left.

After a quick check of what was available in the kitchen right now, Alec decided to make onion soup for Magnus' dinner.

*

When Alexander returned with another plate of saltines and a cup of tea, Magnus made short work of both. He couldn't taste all that much, but he was _hungry_.

It didn't take long for Alexander to come back with a bowl of broth, a smaller one of rice and a spoon.

Magnus would have liked to feed himself but found that he couldn't hold the spoon steady no matter how hard he tried. Finally, he just let Alexander feed him both the broth and the rice. _Soon_ , he consoled himself, _soon I will be able to hold my own cutlery and my own cup again._

"Do you want more?" Alexander asked him.

Magnus thought about it for a moment before he answered. "Maybe later. For now, I feel quite full." He coughed again and felt a stinging sensation in his chest. It felt as if his body was trying to bring up something from the bottom of his lungs – which matched Isabelle's earlier explanation.

Magnus could feel Alexander rub circles on his back as he coughed. While it felt nice, it didn't help at all. Tears were streaming down his cheeks from the pain in his chest.

When the coughing fit finally ended, Magnus looked up into his boyfriend's worried eyes.

Alexander reached out to wipe the tears off his face. "Maybe we should try mom's balm again? It might help you breathe more easily."

Magnus nodded.

"And before that, I will reheat the bag of grape seeds."

*

Magnus sighed as Alexander placed the warm owl plushie on his stomach. "Feels nice," he muttered. Although he couldn't smell much of the balm on his chest, he could feel its cooling effect on his skin.

Alexander sat down on the edge of the mattress and reached out for his boyfriend's hand, his cool, dry skin a contrast to Magnus' hot and moist one. He started to gently rub his thumb across the back of Magnus' hand.

Magnus squeezed Alexander's hand and closed his eyes. Sleep wouldn't come, though. Instead, his increased intake of fluid meant he needed more frequent trips to the bathroom than before. At least his bladder had graciously waited until after the IV bag was removed before demanding to be emptied the first time.

While the balm and the warmth radiating from the plushie felt nice, the cough still worsened steadily, and after another hour Magnus also began to sneeze and his nose started running.

Alexander immediately handed him a tissue, which he took gratefully. The relief that blowing his nose brought was short-lived, however. It seemed his body was serious about getting rid of all the phlegm.

*

Alec watched as Magnus used tissue after tissue without being able to really clear his nose. He texted Izzy to send more tissue boxes along with whoever was coming over tonight. Still, there had to be _something_ he could do for his boyfriend…

"Magnus?" Alec waited until his boyfriend was actually looking at him. "How about an inhalation and a hot bath? Both are supposed to clear your nose and chest and might help get rid of this… _stuff_ … faster."

Magnus hesitated a moment before he replied. "Sure." It didn't sound like his voice at all, raw and croaky.

"Then I'll prepare it for you," Alec announced and left for the kitchen.

*

Magnus leaned back in the hot water and breathed in deeply. The inhalation treatment with chamomile had brought up even more phlegm, making him cough and sneeze so much he'd had trouble breathing. Now he was hoping he could at least relax in the tub full of mountain pine-scented water.

Alexander placed the stool next to the tub and put a box of tissues on the seat, within his boyfriend's reach. "Is it okay if I leave for a little while to change the sheets and air the bedroom?"

"Mmmmh… fine," Magnus hummed, his eyes closed. He heard his boyfriend's retreating footsteps and then the sound of the door being opened and closed again.

Magnus didn't have much time to relax, though, because soon he started coughing once more. A few minutes later, his nose began to run and he sneezed. So much for a clear chest and nose.

By the time Alexander returned from the bedroom, Magnus had buried his face in a tissue, with several used, crumpled tissues already lying on the stool.

"It's not getting better?" Alexander asked, but he might as well have said it as a statement since the answer was obvious.

"No, worse," Magnus mumbled behind the tissue.

"I'm sorry, Magnus. I thought this might help you." Alexander knelt down on the floor behind his boyfriend's head and reached out with both hands to gently rub Magnus' neck and shoulders.

"Hmmm… nice," Magnus hummed between coughs. He leaned into the strong hands in silent encouragement.

Alexander increased the pressure of his hands against the hot skin and turned the caress into a massage.

Magnus groaned as his boyfriend unerringly found all the tense spots in his neck and shoulders and slowly and thoroughly kneaded them out of existence.

Alexander worked his way up Magnus' scalp next, careful not to get too close to the forehead wound.

Magnus hummed again. Of course, he would have enjoyed the massage a lot more if he hadn't been coughing and sneezing and blowing his nose. Also, the coughing and sneezing made his head throb despite the painkiller he had taken. Healing the mundane way was _extremely_ unpleasant. He couldn't wait to get his magic back under control and work a little healing spell. Before the bedroom disaster he might have considered risking it, but now he knew better than to tempt the fates.

Alexander leaned forward to kiss the back of his boyfriend's head. "Do you want me to add some more hot water so you can stay in the tub a bit longer, or would you prefer to go back to bed?"

"Hmmm…" Magnus thought about those options for a moment. "Bed, I think." The bath was nice but seemed to make the cough worse. Besides, the bed would be nice and warm as well.

*

Alec made sure to rub and pat and massage the lotions his mother had shown him into Magnus' skin once he'd dried him off. He took his time and kept his boyfriend wrapped in warm towels except for the body part he was working on at the time.

Magnus was too busy coughing and sneezing into another tissue to really enjoy the gentle treatment but he appreciated the effort. He let Alec dress him in warm, fuzzy socks and clean pajamas and clung to his boyfriend as he was carried back to bed.

*

When Magnus was safely back in bed with the warm owl plushie on his stomach and a hot water bottle underneath his feet, Alec fetched a paper bin for the used tissues and two fresh boxes of tissues to keep his boyfriend supplied for a bit.

"Are you hungry?" he asked Magnus. "I could heat up another bowl of broth and a bit of rice. There's also still tea in the thermos."

Magnus didn't even hesitate. "Sounds good." Then he was coughing again.

Alec kissed his temple and disappeared to the kitchen.

*

Magnus enjoyed his returned appetite and he'd polished off every last drop of broth and tea and every last bit of rice. It felt good to know that the food was going to stay down without rushing out the other end. On the other hand, his nose and upper lip were starting to feel raw and tender despite the special balm-coated tissues he was using.

When he told Alexander, his boyfriend immediately took out a tube of the eye and nose ointment and applied it generously to Magnus' nose and upper lip. "Now just try not to use a tissue for a few minutes so your skin has a chance to absorb the ointment," Alexander cautioned.

Magnus rolled his eyes at him. As if he wanted to need to blow his nose that often!

"I know it's not easy. Is there anything I can do to help you right now?"

Magnus shook his head slightly. "No. I'm hoping for a nap, actually." He knew his chances of spontaneously falling asleep between two coughing fits were rather slim, but he felt tired again, and sleeping for a while would also mean he wouldn't feel the pain during that time.

Pain that, now that he thought about it, was getting worse again already. "I think I actually need another one of those painkillers," he told Alexander.

His boyfriend left immediately and returned a short while later with a cup of tea. "To wash down the pill," he declared as he set down the cup on the nightstand.

Alexander removed an ibuprofen pill from the package and handed it to Magnus, then helped him wash it down with a few sips of tea.

Once the cup was empty, Magnus leaned back against the pillows at his back and closed his eyes. He really wanted a nap right now. Just not be in pain for an hour or so. He coughed again.

Alexander reached out to brush the hair off his boyfriend's forehead. "Would you like me to sing you a lullaby to help you sleep?"

Magnus smiled up at him with his eyes still closed. "If you don't mind…"

"Of course not!" Alexander claimed and began to sing in a low voice.

*

It took several lullabies until Alec was sure that Magnus was really asleep. He switched on the Magnus Monitor and took the receiver with him.

When he stepped out onto the balcony, the cats were already waiting next to the empty dishes. "You're an impatient, greedy bunch, aren't you? Magnus is spoiling you rotten."

Alec picked up the empty dishes and made sure none of the cats managed to slip into the apartment with him. After he'd cleaned the dishes in the kitchen, he filled them with fresh food and water and brought them back to the balcony.

The cats started weaving around his feet, meowing, the moment he walked out the door. "Easy, guys. You'll get the food, just give me a moment."

Putting down the dishes without spilling any food or water or stepping on any of the cats was a struggle, but Alec managed it eventually.

He stayed on the balcony for a bit, watching and petting the cats.

*

Once he was back in the apartment, Alec considered his chances of getting through a full training routine. He had lost quite a bit of blood yesterday due to his wound but was feeling fine now. He didn't want to risk overdoing it and not being able to take care of Magnus for the rest of the day though.

As a consequence, he focused on stretching his muscles, keeping his body flexible and limber, and added only a few strengthening exercises.

He was in the middle of doing sit-ups when someone knocked on the apartment door. Alec frowned as he stood up. They weren't expecting any visitors today, so who could that be?

As he walked towards the door, Alec realized that he wasn't wearing a single weapon on his body. He almost cursed. Izzy _and_ Magnus had scolded him for being too careless, and here he was, unarmed and about to open the door for a complete stranger, as far as he knew!

Alec hurried back to the bedroom and picked up his seraph blade. Bow and arrow wouldn't be of much use in close quarters. Sword held in his right hand, ready to defend himself, he returned to the apartment door and slowly opened it a crack with his left hand.

"Luke??"


	24. Chapter 24

_Clary is turning out to be more like Jocelyn every day_ , Luke mused as he was climbing up the stairs to Magnus Bane's loft. She knew Magnus had saved his life, she had even been the one who took him to the warlock for help with the Alpha bite, but she hadn't even considered telling him that Magnus was sick. Clary had only told him when he'd called her earlier this day to ask whether she'd heard from Magnus. They'd started meeting for drinks and long talks a while ago, and when he hadn't heard from or seen Magnus in over a week, Luke had begun to worry.

And with good reason, it seemed. Luke had heard of Warlock Cold before, but only in passing. All he remembered about it was that it was one of the few diseases warlocks could actually catch and contagious to warlocks only. Which meant that neither as a Shadowhunter nor as a werewolf he had needed to know any details about the disease.

Clary had been somewhat vague about the details as well, just telling him that Magnus had Warlock Cold and Alec had moved in with him to take care of him. Then she'd claimed she needed to get back to her training session and hung up on him.

Well, where he came from, it was customary for friends to pay a visit to the sick friend and bring by some get-well-gifts. So, here he was.

Luke hesitated a moment as he was about to knock on the door, wondering whether he should have called ahead. Then he decided it would be ridiculous to call from right in front of the apartment door and even sillier to go home again, call and then come back.

He knocked. And waited. And waited some more. Luke had just raised his hand to repeat the knocking when the door was opened a crack and revealed a rather sweaty, barefoot Alec in track pants and a t-shirt.

"Luke??"

Luke smiled. "Alec. Is this a bad time?"

Alec visibly shook himself out of his surprised stare. "What? No, I mean, yes, I mean… What brings you here?"

Luke's eyebrows rose slightly. "Which is it, yes or no? I only heard today that Magnus is sick and thought I'd come by, see how he's doing, maybe take his mind off the disease for a bit…" He gave the young Shadowhunter time to process that information.

Alec finally opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Come in, please. Magnus is asleep right now but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Luke walked into the apartment, the small bag with his gifts still in his left hand, and stopped short at the sight of the sword in Alec's hand. His eyebrows rose towards his hairline. "Are you suddenly afraid of the big, bad wolf, Alec?"

Alec's eyes followed his gaze to the blade, and Luke saw the young man blush slightly. "No, of course not. We weren't expecting any visitors today. Could have been anyone." Alec lowered the sword. "Would you like a cup of coffee? Or tea?"

"Coffee, black," Luke replied. It felt strange to be in here and not be greeted by a perfectly dressed and styled Magnus Bane. "How _is_ Magnus?" he asked Alec to shake off the feeling of wrongness.

"Hopefully, finally getting better," Alec told him on his way to the kitchen.

Luke followed him slowly. "Just hopefully?"

Alec took a clean cup and put it in the coffee machine before he pressed the button for one large cup of coffee. "What do you know about Warlock Cold?"

Luke shrugged. "Not much, I'm afraid. It's a disease that's only contagious to warlocks, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. it's a bit more than that, though." Alec handed Luke the coffee and proceeded to make another one for himself. "It's highly contagious to warlocks, it disturbs the sick warlock's magic to the point where any use of it can lead to fatal accidents and it comes with fever, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, coughing… the full program." He took a sip of his freshly-made coffee.

Luke's eyes had grown larger with every word. "That doesn't sound like a cold, Alec. That's more like the flu! Or worse."

Alec sighed. "You're not the first to point that out. The Greek name is less euphemistic: Devil's Plague."

Luke swallowed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm sure Magnus will be happy to see you once he wakes up. If he agrees, you could keep him company while I make dinner."

Just as Luke said "Sure!", Magnus' voice sounded in the room, calling Alec's name. It seemed to come from a small, black, rhinestone-decorated device.

"What is that?" Luke asked Alec, who was already on his way to Magnus.

"Magnus Monitor," the young man said over his shoulder. At Luke's confused look, he elaborated. "Clary gave me a baby monitor to help take care of Magnus. It was white plastic, though, and Magnus considered it drab, so I decorated it for him."

They had reached the bedroom door now. "Wait, _you_ decorated it?" That was something Luke would have expected of Clary, but he couldn't picture _Alec_ working with paint and glue and rhinestones.

Alec didn't reply as he was striding into the bedroom. "Magnus, what do you need?"

"Bathroom," Magnus gasped before his eyes fell on Luke. "Wha—?"

Luke smiled at his friend. "Good evening, Magnus."

Alec interrupted him. "Luke, can you wait here while I help Magnus to the bathroom?"

Luke nodded and then sipped his coffee as he watched Alec fold back the covers, pick Magnus up and carry him into the next room.

He let his gaze wander. The room seemed strangely familiar. Not the furniture, but the layout and the way the late afternoon light fell through the window. It took him a moment to remember what this room reminded him of. He'd been here before, after Magnus had saved his life. The warlock had let him stay in his guestroom while he had recovered.

But that made no sense at all. Why would Magnus sleep in his own guest room? This was all very confusing.

*

By the time Alec returned with Magnus and settled the warlock back into bed, Luke's cup was empty.

The young Shadowhunter disappeared back into the bathroom.

Magnus pulled the covers more tightly around himself and looked up at his visitor. "Luke. This is a surprise. What brings you here?"

Luke stepped closer, watching from the corner of his eye as Alec walked through the bedroom and into the hallway with a small plastic container in his hand and came back without it. "I spoke to Clary today and she told me that you've been sick for over a week. I wanted to see how you were and if there is anything I can do for you." He lifted the bag in his left hand higher and smiled. "And I brought gifts."

"Gifts?" Magnus perked up at that.

Luke chuckled. "Yes, gifts." He pulled a bottle of Magnus' favorite whiskey from the bag and held it out so the warlock could read the label. "I'm not sure if you're allowed to drink this right now, but you can always use it to celebrate once you're well again."

Alec accepted the bottle from Luke at a nod from his boyfriend. "I will place it in the bar, Magnus. Then you can sample it in a few days when you're feeling better."

Magnus nodded and smiled broadly at Luke. "Thank you."

With a smile of his own on his lips, Luke took a decently-sized tin from the bag. "And this is herbal tea that's good against a cold," he explained. "My sister Amatis sends it to me from Idris twice a year."

"What's in it?" Magnus asked curiously.

Luke shrugged. "I have no idea. Herb lore wasn't one of my stronger subjects. It is safe for Downworlders to drink, in any case." He opened the tin and offered it to Magnus to sniff.

*

Magnus leaned forward and inhaled deeply, but couldn't really identify the bits of the scent that registered in his clogged nose. Sinking back against the pillows, he smiled up at Luke. "Identifying the ingredients will have to wait until I've recovered my sense of smell completely, I fear." He coughed. "But thank you for the tea. I'm sure Alexander will make it for me."

Alexander, who'd walked back into the room in time to hear the last sentence, gave his boyfriend a confused look. "Will make what for you?"

"Tea," Magnus replied, aiming a beaming smile at the young man. "Luke brought me the secret herbal mix against colds his sister sends him from Idris."

Luke handed the open tin and the lid to Alexander, who carefully sniffed the contents. "That smells interesting. Very healthy, but interesting," he declared. "I might have to steal a cup of that tea to find out if it tastes as interesting as it smells."

"We could find out right now if you'd like," Magnus told him in a hopeful tone.

"Is that a request to go and make fresh tea?" Alexander was grinning.

"Maybe?"

Alexander laughed. "Then I guess I better return to the kitchen."

*

Luke watched the young Shadowhunter leave the room before he gestured towards Magnus' forehead. "What happened there?"

Magnus' hand flew upwards but stopped an inch short of making contact. "Magical accident," he stated.

"Magical accident?" Luke asked, incredulous. "Why did you use your magic at all? Alec said that could be fatal!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Magnus replied hotly – and immediately paid for it with a coughing fit.

Luke waited for the warlock to calm down, unsure of what he could do to help. This cough sounded painful! "Are you alright, Magnus?" At Magnus' nod, Luke continued. "Aren't you a bit too old for accidental use of magic?"

Magnus glared at him. "You wouldn't dare call me an old man if I were in control of my magic right now," he grumbled. "And I wasn't really conscious at the time. My fever spiked that night and I had nightmares – or so Alexander tells me. I don't have any recollection of it." His words were interrupted by coughs and a sneeze.

Luke handed Magnus a tissue from the box on the nightstand. "That must have been some nightmare. What kind of magical accident leads to a gash on your forehead?"

Magnus blew his nose and winced at the sting in his reddened skin. He'd need more ointment soon. "The kind of accident where part of the room explodes and I get hit by debris," he told Luke.

"Is that why you're in your own guest room? I thought I recognized this room." Luke let his gaze travel over the walls as another thought hit him. "Wait, where was Alec when you were being hit by debris?" He heard the door open while he was speaking and smelled the familiar scent of his sister's tea a moment later.

"On top of me," Magnus replied and was interrupted by Luke before he could elaborate on that.

" _Excuse me?_ I thought you were unconscious?" Luke spun to face Alec. "Is it really too much to ask to keep it in your pants for a week while you're taking care of your sick boyfriend? Even if he makes advances in his dreams!"

*

Alec stopped short at the accusation. "But I— _ow!_ " The sudden halt had caused the hot tea to spill onto his hands. He hurried to set both cups down on the nearest flat surface, which was a dresser, and step into the bathroom to run cold water over his hands.

"Luke, no, he didn't—"

He heard his boyfriend's words end in a hacking cough and would have loved nothing more than to be by Magnus' side right now and correct Luke.

*

"Ow!" Jace flinched at the pain in both of his hands and almost dropped his seraph blade in surprise.

Izzy's electrum staff stopped half an inch from making contact with his ribs. "What is it, Jace?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Something happened with Alec. It feels like he burned his hands," Jace told her, already on his way to the edge of the training area where he'd left his phone. He wanted an explanation, and he wanted it _now_.

Izzy returned her staff to bracelet-shape and put it on her wrist as she watched Jace pick up his phone and call Alec.

*

Alec sighed when Jace' ringtone began to sound from his phone. He should have expected this after the day before. His _parabatai_ had every reason to be wary of any pain he experienced through the bond, and there was no way Jace hadn't felt that. He took a deep breath and accepted the call.

"Jace? No, everything's fine. I just spilled some tea."

"That doesn't sound like you're fine, Alec. Do you want me to come over?" Jace didn't sound the least bit convinced.

"No, that's not necessary," Alec informed him immediately. "Look, I've already been running cold water over my hands and was about to activate my _iratze_ when you called."

"How did you even manage to burn both your hands with tea?" Jace wanted to know.

Alec huffed impatiently. The pain was getting worse again, now that there was no cold water running over his hands. "I was carrying two cups when I tripped. Jace, I'm fine." He fished his stele from his back pocket, used his shoulder to keep the phone pressed to his ear, lifted his shirt and activated his _iratze_. "There, all better," he told Jace.

But his _parabatai_ wasn't satisfied yet. "How do I know you didn't just block our bond again, Alec?"

Although he probably deserved the distrust, Alec groaned. "You'll get proof in a moment," he assured Jace and hung up.

*

Jace looked from his phone to Izzy and back. "He just hung up," he told her, not sure what to think about the conversation.

"Just hung up?" she repeated. "What does that mean? Do we need to check up on him?"

Jace shrugged and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, his phone buzzed. He looked at the screen and grinned.

"What is it?" Izzy wanted to know.

"He sent a picture," Jace replied and turned his phone around so Izzy could take a look as well.

The picture had clearly been taken in front of a mirror. It showed a t-shirt-clad torso they both could identify as Alec's, with both hands placed on the chest and one of the hands holding the phone. The skin of the hands looked fine with no sign of redness or injury.

"I guess he finally remembered to keep his stele with him," Izzy commented.

*

Magnus was still coughing when Alec returned to the bedroom.

Luke was very gently patting Magnus' back.

"Now look what you've done," Alec growled.

He regretted using that tone when Luke turned around, eyes shining green and body poised for an attack.

Alec raised both hands, palms facing away from him. "Easy, Luke. I'm not threatening you. Calm down."

"Don't use that tone with me." Luke's voice still held the hint of a growl, but his eyes had returned to their usual color.

"Then don't accuse me of molesting Magnus in his sleep!" Alec replied, his anger barely controlled.

"You can 'molest' me any time you want, Alexander, sleeping or not," Magnus gasped. He wasn't coughing anymore but still out of breath.

*

Luke stepped back from the bed to give Alec space to sit down on the edge of the mattress. He wasn't quite satisfied yet with the answers. Clary had proven to him again how foolish and also selfish – or maybe self-centered – people could be, and he was worried about Magnus' well-being. It didn't take a genius to realize the warlock was used to giving way more than he got and happy with the most basic bits of affection and care.

"If you weren't trying to get some, what were you doing on top of Magnus?" Luke asked Alec, careful to keep his tone somewhere between neutral and curious.

"Holding him down!"

Luke's eyebrows rose towards his hairline. _That_ didn't make it sound any better to him. _Benefit of the doubt_ , he told himself. Alec was Head of the New York Institute and working on a better relationship between Shadowhunters and Downworlders. He had a good head on his shoulders and might have had a valid reason to do what he'd just said.

"Why?" It was the least judgmental way to phrase his question that Luke could think of.

Alec took a deep breath. "It's a long story. The short version is: Magnus had a high fever, was having nightmares and didn't necessarily recognize me when he woke up. He was tossing and turning and thrashing and speaking in foreign languages. Then he tried to call his magic and I grabbed his hands and held him down." The young man swallowed. "I don't know if it was the fever or the fear, but Magnus was incredibly strong and I had to climb on top of him to even stand a chance to immobilize him."

That sounded sensible. Except… "If you were immobilizing him, how the hell did Magnus manage to use the magic that caused the room to explode?"

To Luke's surprise, both Alec and Magnus blushed at that question. Now, what was that about?

As Alec retrieved the two cups of tea from the dresser, Luke let his gaze travel between the two men. What had happened that night that both were so reluctant to talk about?

Normally, Luke would have said that whatever happened in their bedroom was none of his business but this just rubbed him the wrong way. In his opinion, Magnus needed a friend to look out for him. As powerful as he was as the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Luke was sure he'd roll over and show his throat if someone he loved told him to.

Luke folded his arms in front of his chest and watched Alec and Magnus sip their tea, with Alec holding both cups.

"This is good," Magnus stated, and Alec nodded in agreement. It was obvious they didn't intend to answer his question.

"That's great. I'll tell Amatis the next time I contact her. How _did_ Magnus get out of your hold, Alec? Did you fall asleep on top of him because you were so exhausted from the struggle?"

Alec choked on a sip of tea, and Magnus' blush darkened, but neither man answered.

"O-kaaay, I'll just keep guessing and you nod when I'm right," Luke told them cheerfully and waited a moment if that would cause them to speak up. It didn't.

"You were so busy taking care of Magnus and undressing him with your eyes that you forgot to eat and fainted from hunger."

Again, there was no reaction, verbal or otherwise, from the two men.

"No? Hmmm… Oh, I know. Jace called, and you automatically picked up your phone, at which moment Magnus had one hand free and used his magic."

"What? No!" That was Alec, apparently filled with indignation at the suggestion that he'd let go of Magnus just to answer the phone.

"Okay, okay… Magnus' wards were breached while the two of you were struggling. The intruder knocked you out, Magnus tried to blast the intruder and the following explosion spread bits of the intruder all over your bedroom walls."

"Ewww!"

"My wards aren't that easy to breach!"

"Testy, are we? Okay, an insect kept buzzing around your head and you swatted at it out of reflex. Magnus took that opportunity to use his magic."

Twin glares, but no other reaction.

"That's not it either, then. Hmmm… Your leg cramped and you lost your balance and Magnus wrenched his hands free."

Alec's and Magnus' posture and face didn't change.

"No? Okay, what else could have happened?" Luke rubbed his hand across his chin as he thought about it. "I know! You leaned down too far and Magnus head-butted you, knocking you unconscious."

Suddenly, neither Magnus nor Alec were meeting his eyes anymore. Luke's instincts and his experience as a cop told him that he'd hit close to the truth. No head-butting, then, but… "Oh my… Please tell me he didn't take you out with the good old knee to the groin!?"

Magnus lowering his gaze even further and Alec reddening to the tips of his ears were all the answer Luke needed to start laughing.

He slapped one hand over his mouth at first, trying to keep quiet, but it was a lost cause. Despite knowing from personal experience how painful that hit had to have been, the entire thing was simply hilarious. Tears were streaming down Luke's face because he was laughing so hard.

*

Alec glared at Luke. "It's not funny!" he told their visitor, but wasn't even sure the man had heard him.

Turning back around to Magnus, he saw that his boyfriend was desperately fighting a grin. The corners of his own mouth twitched.

Okay, in retrospect, it was a tiny bit funny. Maybe more than a tiny bit.

A few moments later, Alec was chuckling and Magnus was half snickering and half coughing.

*

It took several minutes until all three of them had calmed down again.

Alec handed Magnus another tissue and spread a new layer of ointment over his nose and upper lip afterwards.

Luke was still wiping tears of mirth from his eyes and cheeks when Alec's phone buzzed.

The young Shadowhunter took out his phone and read the message. "It's from Jace. He's coming over in an hour and asks if he should bring takeout." He looked at Luke "Would you like to eat with us?"

"Sure."

"Italian or Chinese?" Alec asked him, already typing a reply to Jace.

Luke thought about it for a moment. "Chinese," he finally decided.

Alec finished the message to his _parabatai_ and hit ‘send'. His phone buzzed again a moment later with a short confirmation. Alec turned his attention towards his boyfriend. "Magnus, would it be alright if Luke stayed with you while I prepare your dinner?"

Magnus nodded without any hesitation. "Sure. He hasn't lost a chess game against me in about two weeks, so he's overdue."

Luke bristled at that. "Hey, I don't _always_ lose!"

"No, sometimes I let you win."

"You _let_ me win?" Luke demanded in mock-outrage.

Alec chuckled. "Why don't I fetch a chess board for the two of you and you find out who wins today while I make onion soup for Magnus?"

Both men nodded, and Alec went to retrieve the chess board from the living room.

*

Alec was glad that Magnus had company while he was busy in the kitchen. That way, he could concentrate on cooking and setting the table for later.

He also had the impression that Luke's visit was good for Magnus. His boyfriend looked livelier somehow. Of course, Alec reminded himself, Magnus was a social creature and used to meeting people almost every day. He'd probably missed that the last ten days.

Maybe he should invite someone over tomorrow, Alec mused. Who would Magnus like to see? Catarina, of course, was out of the question. Raphael was an option, but Alec didn't want to risk Izzy and Raphael running into each other here. Besides, he still held kind of a grudge against the vampire for having encouraged Izzy in her addiction.

Simon. He could ask Simon to come by. Maybe the Daylighter would even be willing to play some music for Magnus. His boyfriend would like that.

Alec was sure that Magnus had Simon's phone number. He'd ask him for it once they were alone again tonight.

*

Alec knocked gently on the door to announce his return before he entered the guest bedroom.

Luke was sitting on the edge of the bed, and the chess board was placed on the nightstand. The two men were obviously so concentrated on the game they hadn't even looked up yet.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your game, but Magnus' dinner is ready."

"Damn, and I was about to win this," Luke complained.

"No, you weren't," Magnus declared.

"Why don't you finish the game after dinner?" Alec suggested before they could start a discussion. "Unless you have other plans already?" The question was directed at Luke.

Luke shook his head. "No other plans." He stood up and stepped aside so Alec could sit down in his place.

Alec waited a moment, but when Magnus made no move towards the spoon, he picked it up himself and began to feed his boyfriend.

"Mmmh," Magnus hummed after the first mouthful of soup. "This is _good_."

"I'm glad you like it."

*

Magnus sank into the hot water with a sigh. At first, he'd been skeptical of Alexander's suggestion that they should use the time until Jace' arrival for the evening examinations so he could soak in the tub while the others ate. It had seemed impolite to tell Luke he needed to leave the room for a while and should choose a book to read or find another way to spend the time. Only at Luke's insistence had Magnus agreed to his boyfriend's plan.

Now he was glad he had. The hot water felt great on his skin, relaxing his muscles. Magnus even could smell the thyme-scent of the water Alexander had poured into the tub.

He leaned back against the rim of the tub, convinced that he was going to thoroughly enjoy this bath, no matter how many tissues he needed. Afterwards, he would show Luke how much he still needed to learn about chess…

*

Jace entered the apartment carrying several bags. It had been a surprise when Alec had told him that Luke was visiting, and would it be alright if he ate with them?

Leaving the supplies near the door, Jace carried the food and a small folder into the kitchen and began to unpack everything onto the table.

"Good evening, Jace."

Jace almost dropped the container of Mushu Pork. He hadn't heard Luke enter the kitchen, but turned around to face the man. "Good evening, Luke."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine. Where's Alec?" The next moment, Jace realized it was a stupid question. There weren't all that many options after all.

"Giving Magnus a bath, I think."

"Why is he giving Magnus a bath _now_? He knew I was coming over!"

"Because Magnus isn't well enough yet to sit in the kitchen with us," Alec's voice sounded from the doorway. "And because I didn't want him to sit in bed all alone. This way, he can soak in the tub while we eat." Alec greeted Jace with a tight hug.

Jace returned the hug. "That sounds sensible."

Both of them let got, and Alec poured three glasses of water. When he handed Luke's glass over, he realized he should have asked his guest what he wanted. "I'm sorry, Luke. I'm so used to everyone drinking water. If you want something else I'll—" _look what I have_ , he'd wanted to say but was interrupted by Luke.

"Water's fine, Alec." He looked at the number of takeout containers and then at Jace. "You assumed we're hungry, right? Which ones are for me?"

Jace shrugged. "You can eat whatever you like. I brought eggrolls, fried vegetable rice, Kung Pao Chicken, Mushu Pork, some spicy roasted duck I can never remember the name of, Szechuan Beef, salmon with sprouts and peanut sauce and steamed rice. There should be enough for all of us."

"Yummy," Alec declared.

"That sounds delicious," Luke agreed.

They dug in and spent the meal talking about anything and everything – Luke's pack, Clave policies, the current situation in New York, Luke's job, their training – and barely realized how much time had passed when Magnus' voice sounded from the receiver. "Alexander? The water is getting cold."

Alec jumped up and pushed the talkback button. "I'll be right there." He looked at Jace and Luke and opened his mouth to apologize for having to leave the table when Jace spoke up.

"Go, Alec. I'll put the leftovers in the fridge and do the dishes."

"I'll help," Luke immediately added.

"Thank you!" Alec strode towards the guest room.


	25. Chapter 25

Magnus had enjoyed the bath, lounging in the hot water and breathing in the steam. Again, the warm and humid air had caused him to cough up more phlegm, his nose running the entire time, but it was worth it. He felt very relaxed.

Having no way to measure time in the bathroom, Magnus had no idea how long he'd been in the tub already. He did feel, however, that the water had cooled significantly by now.

Sitting up a little, he reached for the tap to add some more hot water but found out that either he was still very weak or Alexander had screwed the hot water tap shut with a lot of force.

The water temperature was slowly turning uncomfortable.

Since he didn't know what else to do, Magnus called out to his boyfriend.

"I'll be right there," came Alexander's immediate response.

Magnus waited impatiently, straining his ears for any sounds that would announce his boyfriend's impending arrival. Usually, he would have wanted to stay in the tub for a little longer. Now, with the cooling water, he just wanted to get out.

Hurried footsteps approached the door before it was opened.

"Magnus, I'm so sorry. I should have set a timer. Or at least kept an eye on the clock."

Magnus took in the crestfallen look on Alexander's face and the worry in his eyes. "Apology accepted. Get me out of here, please."

Alexander immediately laid out a pre-warmed towel in front of the tub, pulled the plug from the drain and gently picked Magnus up without any regard to his own clothes.

"I tried to just add a bit more hot water, but I couldn't open the tab," Magnus explained as his boyfriend was patting him dry.

"I should have been there. I'm a lousy boyfriend, leaving the man I love sitting in cold water while I sit in the kitchen and talk."

Magnus reached out a hand to lay it against Alexander's cheek. "No, Alexander. You are a wonderful boyfriend. You take such good care of me!"

Alexander leaned into his touch for a moment, then pulled back and kissed his palm. "It will never happen again, love. Now I'll get you into bed quickly so you're warm and comfy."

Magnus sighed as Alexander rubbed moisturizing lotion into his skin and cooperated the best he could when his boyfriend dressed him in clean pajamas.

*

Once they were done in the bathroom and Alec had settled Magnus safely in bed with a hot water bottle and the warm owl plushie, Alec left his boyfriend and Luke to their chess game and walked into the living room, where Jace was already waiting for him.

"Is Magnus alright after his prolonged bath?"

Alec smiled but felt guilty still for losing track of time. "Magnus is fine. He's determined to beat Luke on the chess board again."

"Did you invite Luke over so you could rest a bit?"

Alec thought he detected a hint of disapproval in those words. Since Jace had told him to ask for help if he needed it, he could only assume his _parabatai_ was unhappy at the idea he'd asked someone else.

He shook his head. "I didn't invite Luke at all. Apparently, Clary only told him today, more or less in passing, that Magnus is sick. He came by to check up on him and offer his help. _Then he practically accused me of molesting Magnus while he was unconscious!_ "

"He did _what_?" Jace asked, outraged. "How could he think that?"

Alec shrugged. "He asked about Magnus' wound and where I was when my boyfriend got hurt. Magnus told him that I was right on top of him at the time, and before he could explain, Luke had already jumped to conclusions." He sighed. "I spilled hot tea over my hands in surprise, Magnus had a bad coughing fit, and Luke and I almost came to blows. It could have turned ugly."

Jace shook his head in disbelief. "You said you tripped! You lied to me!" he accused his _parabatai_.

"I just didn't want to have to explain right then. I needed to get back to Magnus!" Alec said, blushing. "It would have taken too long to tell you at that moment, and then I had to set Luke straight and that took some time and then you texted about dinner and I decided telling you could wait until I saw you in person." He took a deep breath. "And now you know."

"Yeah, now I know." Jace still felt a little annoyed that Alec hadn't told him the truth right away but could kind of understand the urge to get back to his sick partner. If their roles had been reversed, his priority would most likely have been taking care of Clary. "You seem to have had a pretty exciting day already."

"Oh, it gets better," Alec told him, glad that Jace didn't seem to be too mad at him. "When I explained to Luke how and why I was holding Magnus down, he wanted to know how Magnus managed to use magic."

Jace tried to hide his grin behind his hand, but Alec still saw it. "And then Luke started guessing because we didn't want to tell him. The _things_ he came up with!"

Jace chuckled. "Why, what did he assume happened?"

Alec told his _parabatai_ about Luke's wild guesses, and by the end they were both in stitches.

"Damn, that man sure has some imagination," Jace gasped.

"That he has," Alec agreed. "It was embarrassing."

"I can imagine," his _parabatai_ said with a shudder.

"Anyway, Luke's visit seems to be good for Magnus. I think he misses meeting people, so I might invite Simon over tomorrow. Give Magnus someone else to talk to for a few hours."

Jace frowned. "You think your company isn't enough for him?"

"What? No!" _Why would Jace think that?_ "It's just… Magnus is used to meeting people all the time, and now he's been cooped up for over a week. He finally seems to be getting better, for real, so there's no reason he can't have visitors, right?"

Jace lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, if you need medical advice, you have to ask Izzy or Catarina." Lowering his hands again, he walked into the kitchen to retrieve his folder, still talking to Alec over his shoulder. "But from what you've told me, I'd say invite over all the people you can think of. Just wait a little before you let Magnus throw the next party."

That made Alec laugh. "Don't worry, Jace, there will be no party in the next few days." He wasn't going to make any promises for when Magnus could use his magic again since he knew how much his boyfriend loved to host parties. Then his eyes fell on the folder his _parabatai_ was bringing back from the kitchen. "What's this? Institute business?"

Jace nodded. "Yeah. Most of it is small stuff Izzy and I took care of today, but there are two requests-slash-orders that you need to deal with personally."

"Okay, let's sit down and talk about those," Alec decided and gestured towards two armchairs.

They got comfortable in the armchairs, and Jace removed the topmost document from the folder. "The Clave contacted the Institute about Whiteheart's replacement. He's been in the Idris Hospital for close to a week now, and the Silent Brothers have informed the Clave that he won't be fit for duty for at least six more."

Alec looked at Jace in surprise. He'd known that Whiteheart's injuries were grave, but he hadn't realized it was that bad. "Why don't they just send us a replacement?" he inquired.

Jace shrugged. "They say they're not sure we actually _need_ the replacement. First, they want a detailed workload assessment: How much work is there, how is it distributed among Institute members, how many hours does each specialist work in their field of specialization, are there any tasks we have to outsource to other Institutes and if so, which and how often…"

At Alec's incredulous look, he added. "They claim they want to make sure they send us exactly who we need, if we need someone at all. It's all in that charming message you're holding."

Alec read the document in the hope that Jace had been exaggerating. Unfortunately, his _parabatai_ had read the Clave's request – or, more accurately, the Clave's order – correctly. He sighed. This would take _hours_ , maybe even all night. "Alright, I'm going to need several files from the Inst—" he broke off as he saw Jace take a stack of paper from the folder.

"I brought everything we need for your reply. I also compiled the data they want, so all that's left for you to do is check my numbers and write a convincing message to send back with the information. Since you are a lot better at diplomacy than me, I left that sensitive task to you," Jace told him with a grin.

"How very thoughtful of you," Alec replied, only half joking. Then he busied himself checking the numbers and writing a reply. Or at least a first draft of one. Jace would have to help him figure out possible flaws in his reasoning.

Whiteheart was just an average fighter, but he had been their expert on demonology and demon languages. Nobody else in the Institute came even close to his knowledge on those subjects. Which meant they really needed a competent replacement, and soon.

It took them about 90 minutes until they were both satisfied with the wording and the degree of urgency conveyed in the message.

"I'll type this tonight, and Izzy can bring it over for your signature in the morning," Jace declared as he put their draft and the requested information back into the folder.

Alec nodded. "Okay. What's the other thing I need to deal with personally?"

"Oh, you're going to love this one," Jace claimed as he removed another document from the folder to hand it over. "The Clave informs you – today at 4.30 pm, I'd like to add – that they are sending you an intern."

Alec looked flabbergasted. "They want to send me _what_?"

His _parabatai_ grinned at him. "An intern. Renato Owlflight, 17 years old, is going to arrive tomorrow at 2 pm to shadow you for a few months and learn how to run an Institute."

Alec frowned. "They _know_ I'm taking care of my sick boyfriend, and they send me this intern _now_?"

Jace looked uncomfortable. "I'm afraid they're sending you this intern _because_ you are taking care of Magnus right now."

"You mean, it's a trap?" Alec asked.

Jace sighed. "Yeah. I checked the record of this kid. A promising young Shadowhunter. All his mentors are full of praise. He is Victor Aldertree's nephew, though."

"And that man has no reason to like me. Or any of us," Alec mused.

" _And_ if he can prove to the Clave that you are shirking your duties – one of which is the further education of young Shadowhunters – he can have you removed as Head of Institute." Jace paused for a moment before he asked "What are you going to do about your new intern?"

Alec rubbed one hand over the slight stubble on his chin as he thought about it. He couldn't ask the Clave to delay the young man's arrival. That would imply he was incapable of doing his job.

Bringing Renato Owlflight here, to Magnus' apartment, wasn't an option either, for several reasons. First, he didn't want some stranger in their home, near Magnus. Especially not a stranger related to Aldertree! Second, they needed their guest room for themselves and had no room to house the young man here. Third, his intern was supposed to learn about Institute business, not how to take care of a sick warlock.

Magnus wasn't well enough yet, however, for Alec to return to the Institute and teach his intern there.

Which left him with next to no choice.

*

Jace watched the emotions flicker across Alec's face as his _parabatai_ tried to decide what to do about the newest – and unwelcome – addition to the Institute. He himself had no idea how best to handle this situation. Judging by the gleam in Alec's eyes, though, that wasn't the case for his _parabatai_. "You've thought of a solution. I can see it on your face."

Alec grinned. "Well, would you agree that the key to successfully running an Institute is knowing the Shadowhunters stationed there with all their strengths and weaknesses?"

"Yeeeees," Jace replied, stretching the sound into more than one syllable. What was Alec planning? He didn't have long to wait to find out.

"In that case," Alec explained, "I really think, Renato should get to know the Institute's inhabitants before I teach him more complicated things. I will write up orders tonight – your input is welcome, of course – and sign the printed copy tomorrow morning. You will hand him his orders when he arrives."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you are going to supervise him first. I want Renato to start his assignment in the training area. You will help him familiarize himself with our fighting style and assess his qualities as a fighter for me. Then he will spar with every able-bodied man and woman in the Institute at least once and write a report for me about our people's strengths and weaknesses and any suggestions he might have to improve training and performance in the field. He should also suggest which fighters to send into the field together. I expect his report to be at least three pages long."

By the end, Jace was grinning from ear to ear. This was going to be _fun_! "Maybe I should give him a tour of the Institute first," Jace suggested. "Show him where everything is, introduce him to a few people, let him unpack, ask him for news from Idris. Give him the opportunity to get a full night's rest and fuel up on energy before his first day training with us." It would really surprise him if Renato was going to still be able to walk after his first full day at the Institute.

Alec chuckled. "I like your way of thinking." He turned serious again. "If he manages to hand in his report before I'm back, his next supervisor is Izzy. At least if she has something interesting on the table at the time. She'll be testing his knowledge in pathology, lab work, Downworlder anatomy and so on. Let Renato also watch how our resident forensic pathologist and the lab work. I want a report on that as well, of course. Three pages. He may feel free to suggest possible improvements in his report."

"And if pathology is empty at that time?" Jace inquired.

"Weapons room," Alec declared immediately. "Inventory of all weapons, including what state they're in, how often they're used and by whom. Three pages report with information about weapons in need of repair or replacement, more efficient use and storage of the weapons we have at our disposal, and any improvements Renato can think of."

"What if he wants to discuss his reports with you? Or his assignments?" Jace asked. He was certain they needed to plan for every possible situation they could think of if they wanted to outwit Aldertree and his chosen spy.

Alec's eyebrows rose towards his hairline. "I am his commanding officer in the New York Institute. If he dares question my orders, I will write him up for insubordination." A moment later, his smile returned. "And I will of course need to read the reports first, thoroughly, to assess the quality of his work. That takes time. I will be very glad to discuss the results with him – and any questions he might still have – afterwards." Alec winked at Jace. "I am, naturally, counting on you to make sure the training room assignment cures Renato of any excess energy he might have arrived with before he can do us any harm. In a few days, Magnus should be well again and I will return to the Institute." He was grinning widely. "I will, of course, make sure that Renato's thorough education continues once I'm back."

Jace grinned as well. "I really like your plan. What if Owlflight complains to the Clave about the way you treat him, though?"

Alec shrugged. "Let him. The official goal of his internship is to learn how to run an Institute. I am going to make sure I teach him everything he needs to know. That includes familiarizing himself with the different parts of the Institute as well as all the Shadowhunters under his command."

"But you won't be the one teaching him," Jace reminded him. "Or at least not at first."

"Of course not. I'm the Head of the Institute, I don't have time to look over his shoulder all day. I entrust him to my best Shadowhunters, instead, who are experts in their respective field of work. I will monitor his progress and talk to him at regular intervals."

Jace chuckled. "Aldertree is going to hate this."

"Yes, he probably is." Alec sounded smug, but sobered quickly. "I'm sure we will manage to deal with my intern. I'm actually more worried about Whiteheart's replacement. We _need_ someone who specializes in demonology and demon languages. I can't run to Magnus every time we need input on a demon-related mission. He has his own duties as the High Warlock of Brooklyn."

"And the Clave most likely wouldn't appreciate one of their Institute Heads paying for a warlock's service on every demon-related case. They'd probably accuse you of diverting Clave funds into your lover's pockets or some similar rubbish."

Alec sighed. "I hadn't even thought of that yet, but you're right. It worries me that they didn't just send a replacement but asked for me to justify the need for one."

"Me too," Jace agreed. "But you wrote a great reply. They can't just ignore that."

"Let's hope so… Now I just need to put my orders for Renato Owlflight in writing."

Jace took out a fresh sheet of paper and laid it on top of his folder. Pen in hand, he gave Alec an expectant look. "Well? Let's hear it. I don't scrawl as much as you, and this way you can concentrate on the wording."

*

Alec glanced at his phone. Almost midnight. He and Jace had finished the orders for his new intern, gone over the small stuff his _parabatai_ and Izzy had already taken care of and then just sat there, talking. It had been nice, but now he probably should check in on Magnus and get to bed himself.

Jace had seen his look and checked the time as well. "Oh. I should get going if I want to have both documents ready by morning. Besides, I want to make a good first impression on your intern."

Alec would have called Jace' grin wolfish and almost pitied young Renato Owlflight a little. Almost.

Jace picked up his folder of documents and gave his _parabatai_ a brief hug. "Let's go see who's winning at chess. I want to say bye to Magnus and Luke."

*

Magnus grinned at Luke. "And checkmate. Again."

The werewolf was studying the board, deep frown lines on his forehead. "That can't be. How did you do it?" Disbelief, curiosity and disappointment were warring for dominance in his voice.

"I'm a genius," Magnus declared smugly. "I also have a few centuries more experience at playing chess," he then tried to console Luke.

"But you're sick! You're running a fever and you're too weak to walk," the werewolf complained. "How can you still beat me in that state?"

Magnus shrugged. "Lots of practice, I guess. Besides, I don't move the pieces with my feet." Actually, he himself had been surprised that he hadn't knocked over any pieces as he moved them, his hands a lot less shaky than he remembered.

Luke scowled. "I want a rematch." He yawned. "Maybe not tonight, though."

Magnus yawned as well. "You can have as many rematches as you'd like," he stated. "Just call and I'll make time for it."

"I will," Luke told him. "But I think now we both need our sleep. What time is it anyway?" He took out his phone and immediately jumped to his feet. "Damn!"

Magnus gave him a startled look. "Is something wrong?"

"I completely lost track of time, I should have been home two hours ago," Luke replied. "I have a shift in the morning."

"Oh, Luke, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept you this long," Magnus apologized, just as his boyfriend and Jace walked into the room.

"How's the match going?" Alexander wanted to know, walking over to give his boyfriend a quick kiss.

Magnus welcomed Alexander's lips and sighed when his boyfriend straightened again. After a moment, he grinned up at him. "I won. Four times."

"Despite your fever? I'm impressed," Alexander told him at the same time that Jace patted Luke's shoulder. "Beaten by an ill, feverish warlock. It seems you're not on top of your game today, Luke."

Luke grumbled something unintelligible and shook off Jace' hand. "I don't want to be rude, but I need to get going," he told Alexander.

Jace stepped closer to the bed. "And I'm here to say good night since I have a few things left to do at the Institute before tomorrow. Sleep well, recover quickly and _keep your knees to yourself tonight_!" He said the last part with a wink.

Alexander glared at him, Luke choked on a laugh and Magnus himself blushed. "I didn't do it on purpose!" he reminded everyone. "I wasn't even conscious at the time!"

Jace just grinned.

Luke calmed down again quickly. "Thank you for your hospitality. And dinner."

"You're welcome," Alexander and Jace said in unison.

Jace then added "We'll walk ourselves out, Alec. Get some sleep."

*

The moment the door had closed behind their visitors with an audible ‘click', Magnus grabbed Alexander's wrist. "Bathroom – Quick!"

Alexander gave his boyfriend a confused look but obediently dragged down the covers and picked Magnus up to carry him to the bathroom. "Why didn't you send Luke out to get me?" he asked on the way.

Magnus blushed but was too busy concentrating on not having an accident on the last few feet to the toilet to answer right away. Only when he'd made it and was sitting down, the relief of the pressure on his bladder almost causing him to cry, did he look up at Alexander. "That would have been embarrassing. I just kept my mind completely focused on the game."

"Magnus! What if I'd come in even later?"

Magnus shrugged. "I would have managed somehow," he declared, although it had been a close call already. His bladder had felt fit to burst.

"Do I really have to set a timer and carry you to the bathroom at regular intervals to make sure you're not sitting there in silent misery the next time we have a visitor?" Alexander wanted to know, voice serious.

"Next time?" Magnus asked, not quite managing to hide how hopeful that made him feel.

"Well, I was thinking I might invite Simon to come by tomorrow afternoon. He could bring his guitar," Alexander explained. "First though, you have to promise me you'll never again wait this long before you tell me you need the bathroom or I _will_ use that timer."

Magnus hesitated a moment, but his boyfriend seemed absolutely serious. "I promise," he muttered, deciding that being snatched up and carried to the bathroom every time the alarm went off would be even more embarrassing than having to ask for Alexander's help with an errand of nature in the presence of other people.

"Good. Let's get ready for bed."

*

Later, when they'd brushed their teeth and Magnus had taken his medication and was snuggled into bed, Alec slipped a hot water bottle under his boyfriend's feet and placed the warm owl plushie on his stomach.

"Do you need anything else?"

"M-hm… you next to me," was Magnus' sleepy reply.

Alec switched on the Magnus Monitor's night light, turned off all other lights in the room and climbed into bed. Drawing one of his boyfriend's hands up to his lips he kissed it. "Good night, Magnus. Sleep well."

"Mmmmh… good night, Alexander."

Alec closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.


	26. Chapter 26

__

_Day 11_

Alec woke when the sunlight falling through the window warmed his face and lit the room so brightly he noticed it through his closed eyelids.

He rolled onto his side and glanced up at Magnus, but his boyfriend was still fast asleep.

Alec slipped out of bed with a small yawn, lifted his arms, went up on his toes and stretched his hands as far towards the ceiling as he could. Feeling more awake afterwards, he switched on the Magnus Monitor and took the receiver with him to the kitchen to make coffee for himself and tea for Magnus.

*

Magnus blinked, then tried to swallow, and winced. His nose was so clogged he had to breathe through his mouth, and now his lips and tongue and throat felt parched. He reached out blindly for a tissue and proceeded to thoroughly clear his nose.

Just as he was wondering where Alexander might have gone to and considered calling out for him, his boyfriend walked through the door with a steaming cup in hand. "Good morning, Magnus. I heard that you're awake and thought you might like some sage tea."

"Good mo—" Magnus' voice emerged as an almost toneless croak, and he stopped and cleared his throat before he tried again. "Good morning, Alexander. Thank you." At least the words were intelligible this time, although moving his dry, chapped upper lip hurt.

Alexander sat down on the edge of the mattress and helped Magnus lift the cup to his lips so he could sip the tea. The liquid burned when it went down but felt heavenly at the same time. "That's much better," he stated when the cup was empty.

"Good. Do you want more tea or should we take the morning samples?"

Magnus was tempted to ask for more tea first, but decided that the risk of Izzy walking in as Alexander took his temperature increased the longer they delayed their morning routine. "Samples," he chose accordingly.

*

Magnus had just washed down the antimycotic with some tea and was nibbling on a saltine when there was a knock on the door and Izzy walked in.

"Good morning, Magnus. How are you feeling?"

"A bit better. I actually slept through the night, and Alexander says my fever has gone down further."

Alexander was already taking out his notebook and showing his sister the results from last night and this morning.

"Heart rate down a bit, blood pressure up a little, blood sugar getting closer to where it's supposed to be… those are all very good signs." Izzy copied the information into her own notebook. "What about your stomach, Magnus? Have you been eating regularly?"

Magnus nodded, but left the explanation to Alexander. He would have liked to drink his tea, but his boyfriend had placed the cup on the nightstand when he'd taken out the notebook, and Magnus was still too weak to lift the cup safely on his own.

Alexander meanwhile listed everything Magnus had consumed the day before, as far as he remembered.

Izzy's face showed her surprise at the amount. When Alexander finally told her about the bowl of onion soup, she looked at Magnus. "You ate and drank all that and you weren't nauseous? There was no stomach pain? The diarrhea didn't return?"

Magnus frowned. Why was she asking those questions? Was she hoping for his symptoms to return? "It was fine. No problems at all. I was just hungry."

Izzy smiled widely. "But that's great. You can probably try eating more solid food now. Maybe some buttered toast."

"Then someone needs to buy toast for us," Alexander interjected.

"No problem," Izzy claimed. "I'm assuming that means you have butter?"

Alexander nodded.

"Good. I will ask Catarina whether Magnus still needs the IV, but we should hang a bag today, just in case."

"Actually, I'd like to wait with that until after Magnus' bath," Alexander informed her.

Magnus hadn't even thought of that option, but he liked the idea.

Izzy shrugged. "In view of his blood sugar this morning that shouldn't be a problem. I'll just take fresh blood samples then. I've left the documents you need to sign on the table in the living room. By the way, I like your orders for Renato Owlflight and will make sure to thoroughly test and expand his knowledge of forensic pathology and lab work – without letting him near my current research project of course." She winked at her brother.

Alexander had told Magnus about the new developments at the Institute and his reaction the night before, and the warlock was very relieved to hear that Aldertree's nephew would not get anywhere near his samples. After what Victor Aldertree had done to Raphael, Magnus didn't trust anyone who was closely associated with that man.

*

Alec read both documents before signing them. He didn't really think Jace would change anything without asking him, but he'd made a habit of reading _everything_ he was asked to sign. Better safe than sorry.

It was a pity he wasn't going to see Renato Owlflight's face when Jace handed him the orders. Maybe his _parabatai_ would be willing to share the memory with him later.

After putting the signed documents back into the envelope Izzy had brought them in, Alec went to the kitchen, to boil rice and heat up the leftover soup for Magnus and make a sandwich for himself. He also quickly wrote a grocery list for his sister to take with her when she left.

*

Izzy took her time drawing and labeling the blood. She was glad to see that Magnus looked better this morning. They'd had enough bad news with this disease already.

Once she'd put away the samples, she returned to Magnus' bedside. "Now, let me get a closer look at that cut. Does it give you any pain or cause any problems?"

Magnus held still as she leaned forward. "Apart from everyone wanting a detailed explanation of how I ended up with it in the first place, you mean?"

Izzy chuckled. "Sorry, Magnus." She carefully examined the wound and its surroundings. "This looks good, though. Healing nicely, without any sign of infection."

"But very slowly," her patient complained.

"I know." Izzy sighed. "Think about it this way: In just a few days you'll be able to speed up the healing process. Mundanes don't have that option. They have to endure the slow healing all the way."

"I've never been a mundane. After this experience, I'm quite sure I don't want to be one either."

"Neither do I," Izzy agreed with him. Secretly, she wondered whether he'd really forgotten about the years of his childhood and youth before he'd known how to use his powers properly or if he just chose to pretend he didn't remember. She was quite sure he'd had to heal the mundane way in the early years of his life.

She glanced over at the bedside clock. "Oh, I need to get going. With Jace playing babysitter for the new intern this afternoon, my duties have increased. Make sure you rest a lot, drink plenty and don't hesitate to have Alec call me if you need anything. I'll see you either tonight or tomorrow."

Magnus smiled up at her. "Thanks. Tell Jace I wish him fun with that new intern."

"Will do."

*

Once Izzy had left, Alec carried a bowl of onion soup with rice into the bedroom.

Magnus sniffed the air, but apparently couldn't identify whatever part of the scent made it through his runny nose.

Alec sat down on the edge of the mattress and offered the spoon to Magnus. "Would you like to try?"

Magnus hesitated. "I might spill something," he cautioned.

Alec shrugged. "The covers are still up to your waist and thick enough to keep you safe from hot food. I will change the sheets anyway once you're in the tub."

"Then yes," Magnus decided and took the spoon from his boyfriend's hand.

Alec moved the bowl closer to Magnus' body to decrease the distance across which his boyfriend would have to balance the spoon.

Magnus gave him a grateful look before he dipped the spoon into the soup and carefully lifted it out. His hand was trembling ever so slightly as he balanced the food towards his mouth, leaving a trail of small droplets and the occasional grain of rice on the covers. He looked from the stains on the covers to his boyfriend. "Maybe it would be better if I let you feed me, Alexander."

"Why? You did get the soup and rice into your mouth. The sheets will be washed anyway. Just take it slow." Of course he'd be willing to feed Magnus should his strength fail him and he no longer be able to hold the spoon. Right now, though, he wanted to help his boyfriend regain some of his independence since he was steadily getting better.

*

Magnus leaned back in the tub, determined to enjoy the hot water and scented steam for as long as he could before the humid air made his symptoms worse again.

He'd been surprised when his hand had grown steadier gradually as he fed himself until he hadn't spilled anything anymore. Before he'd caught Warlock Cold, he'd taken being able to feed himself for granted. Now, though? Now it was a huge step towards full recovery.

Magnus created small waves in the water with one hand. A head massage would have made this perfect. Maybe Alexander would offer him one once he was done in the bedroom…

*

Alec stopped about six feet from the bed, Magnus safely held in his arms. He'd massaged lotion into his boyfriend's skin and dressed him in clean pajamas. "Magnus, I'd like to try something."

Magnus just raised one eyebrow.

"Let's see if you can walk the rest of the way if you lean on me."

Magnus looked doubtful as he let his gaze travel from his boyfriend to the bed and back several times.

"I promise you, I won't let you fall," Alec assured him.

*

Magnus wasn't convinced _at all_ that this was a good idea, but the trust and optimism shining in Alexander's eyes made it impossible for him to say no.

So he nodded, worried that his voice might tremble if he tried to agree verbally, and let his boyfriend lower his feet to the ground slowly. He clung to Alexander's shoulders tightly, afraid his knees would give out the moment they actually had to carry any weight.

When he felt his feet make contact with the floor, Magnus braced for the drop he was sure would inevitably follow before Alexander managed to catch him. To his immense surprise, his legs _didn't_ buckle under him.

Although Alexander was supporting most of his weight, he was finally on his feet again. He wasn't dizzy, or nauseous, or shaking.

Suddenly feeling bold, Magnus carefully shifted his weight more onto the foot closer to Alexander so he could slightly lift the other one and push it forward several inches. He felt a bit wobbly but didn't fall. Now the other leg had to bear his weight though, which meant leaning away from his support.

Once he'd managed that next step without any accidents, Magnus breathed a small sigh of relief. He could do this!

His steps were small and his feet barely left the ground, but he was getting closer to his destination.

Alexander moved with him, not hurrying him, but not slowing him down either. Steadying him. Keeping him safe.

When Magnus' legs hit the bed and his boyfriend helped him turn around and sit down, the warlock beamed up at the young man. "I did it! I walked! All thanks to you!" Overjoyed by his success, he reached up to pull Alexander down and into a kiss.

Alexander leaned forward and brushed his lips over Magnus' cheek before he hugged him tight and leaned his face against his neck for a moment.

Magnus frowned when Alexander straightened again. Why hadn't he kissed him properly? The invitation should have been clear. Of course the dry and chapped lips and the red, runny nose were anything but attractive. Seeing Magnus so pathetically weak might have made Alexander realize that there were other men out there who'd be better suited to him. Nobody would blame him after the injuries the warlock had caused him. Now that Magnus was slowly regaining his strength, Alexander probably no longer felt obligated to stay and take care of him.

His morose thoughts were interrupted by the gentle touch of Alexander's fingers to his upper lip.

*

Alec was just as happy as Magnus that his boyfriend was able to walk again, albeit with a lot of support, and leaned down for a kiss. Then he saw how red and sore his boyfriend's upper lip looked and kissed his cheek instead. The last thing he wanted to do was cause Magnus even more pain.

Straightening, Alec turned around to retrieve the small tube of Eye and Nose Ointment. The balm in the tissues was obviously no match for the friction the tissues caused – at least not at the rate at which Magnus was using them.

Alec squeezed a small amount of the ointment onto the tip of his index finger and reached out to gently dab the soothing, moisturizing substance onto his boyfriend's upper lip.

The sad look on Magnus' face surprised Alec. What was he thinking about?

Magnus flinched when Alec's finger touched his lip, his eyes taking a few seconds to focus on his boyfriend.

Confusion and hope and deep sadness. The mixture of emotions in those gorgeous eyes was strange. "Magnus? Are you alright?"

Magnus didn't reply. His gaze remained fixed on Alec's face, and he didn't blink.

"Magnus? I'm just applying some ointment. The skin on your nose and lip looks very dry and red and sore."

Now Magnus blinked. Several times. "You're not leaving?" he asked in a small voice.

"What? Leaving? No!" Alec spoke so fast it felt as if the words were in danger of stumbling over each other. "Why would you think that?"

Magnus blushed. "You didn't want to kiss me," he mumbled so quietly that Alec automatically leaned forwards to catch every word.

"I didn't want to—" Alec broke off, stunned. "No, Magnus. I always want to kiss you."

"But only my cheek," Magnus replied, not meeting Alec's eyes. "I mean, I can understand why. I'm pathetic and disgusting right now and you deserve bettermmmmh—"

Shocked by his boyfriend's words and not knowing what else to do, Alec kissed Magnus, trying to convey his feelings and ignoring the not exactly pleasant taste of the ointment he'd just applied.

*

Magnus was certain that his brain had short-circuited for a moment when Alexander's lips had met his because he hadn't been able to think or move.

Then several things had registered all at once: Alexander was kissing him, his upper lip was really sore, Alexander wasn't leaving, he didn't really like the taste of the ointment and _Alexander was kissing him_!

Magnus' body finally caught up with events, and he kissed his boyfriend back enthusiastically despite the pain in his lip.

They were both breathing heavily when they broke the kiss, and Magnus felt Alexander cup his face in his hands, long fingers caressing his skin.

"Magnus, I love you. I will not leave you. You are _not_ pathetic and you are most definitely _not_ disgusting. You are gorgeous and strong and kind and witty and perfect for me, and I am yours for life."

Magnus couldn't look away from his boyfriend's hazel eyes, the sincerity in them and in his words making him speechless. He swallowed. "Alexander, I… I…" What could he say? That he should have trusted the man he loved because he'd proven himself to be trustworthy already? That being able to trust his partner with every aspect of himself was an entirely new concept for him?

Alexander sighed. "Oh Magnus. One day you will believe me that you are a wonderful person, gorgeous and my one and only love. Until then, I will just have to tell you again," he kissed his boyfriend, "and again."

*

Alec had applied a generous layer of ointment to Magnus' nose and lips again and was now attaching the morning IV to the needle in his boyfriend's hand. If Izzy was right, this might be the last time he'd be doing that.

Magnus was leaning back against the pillows with his eyes half closed.

"Magnus?" Alec waited until he had his boyfriend's undivided attention. "Would you like me to ask Simon if he wants to come over later, say around 3 pm?"

Magnus smiled. "That would be nice."

"Can I borrow your phone for a moment? I don't have Simon's number."

Reaching out with one hand, Magnus gave his phone to Alec. "Be my guest."

*

Magnus watched Alexander program Simon's number into his own phone with a smile. He liked the young Daylighter and welcomed it that his boyfriend was not just tolerating his friends but apparently working on having an amicable relationship with them as well.

When Alexander called the number he'd just saved, the phone was picked up almost immediately. "Simon? It's Alec. Do you have a few minutes?"

Magnus couldn't hear the vampire's reply but it had to have been an affirmative one for the conversation continued.

"No, nothing bad has happened."

Well, _that_ was a matter of definition. Magnus considered contracting Warlock Cold quite bad.

"Yes, Clary is fine as far as I know."

Ah, of course. Being called by a Shadowhunter out of the blue would most probably make alarms go off in Simon's head.

"I'm not at the Institute right now, Simon. I'm with Magnus."

_Luke hasn't told any of the people around him that I'm sick? Or has he just not met Simon yet today?_

"Simon! No, we're not… Magnus is sick."

The slight blush on Alexander's cheeks meant Magnus thought he could guess what Simon had insinuated. He grinned.

"No, he's getting better. It is kind of boring, however, for him to sit around wrapped in blankets all day. So I thought it would be nice if his friends were to visit him. Luke was here yesterday."

Magnus' grin widened. _Clever, Alexander._ He wasn't sure if his boyfriend was using this strategy on purpose or just following his instincts, but it was probably going to work.

"You won't get sick. The disease is only contagious to warlocks. Last I checked, you were a vampire."

Magnus almost chuckled. At first, he'd regretted that he could hear but one end of the conversation, but by now he wasn't sure anymore. Imagining what Simon might have said was kind of fun.

"Give me a moment, I'll ask him." Alexander covered the microphone with his hand and looked at Magnus. "Simon wants to know if Maia is welcome as well."

"Sure!" He didn't even have to think about it. "Ask him to bring his guitar, too."

"Magnus would love for Maia to come with you. Is 3 pm okay? And can you maybe bring your guitar?"

Magnus waited to be told Simon's decision. _Please say yes!_ It wasn't that he didn't like spending time with Alexander alone. He loved their time together. Now that he wasn't so exhausted all the time, however, he was afraid he might go stir-crazy. He couldn't go out yet, though. Not just because he was too weak to walk unaided, but because nobody knew whether physical proximity alone was enough to catch Warlock Cold from a sick warlock, and he would never knowingly endanger other warlocks like that.

So if he couldn't go outside, then the non-warlock world out there needed to come to him.

"Half past three, then. Just walk up to the apartment, knock and go in."

Great, Simon had said yes. He would have visitors again today. That thought made Magnus glance down at his own, pajama-clad body. He'd had no choice concerning his attire yesterday since they hadn't known Luke was going to come by. After Luke had already seen him in his pajamas it would have been pointless to ask Alexander for a change of clothes. It would, on the contrary, have drawn attention to what he was wearing.

Today, though, he already knew there would be visitors, and he was _not_ going to wait for them in his pajamas!

"I need to change into proper clothes," Magnus stated as soon as Alexander had hung up.

His boyfriend gave him a confused look. "Why?"

"Because it's undignified and embarrassing to have visitors over while I'm sitting in bed in my pajamas. I want to greet them in the living room, wearing real clothes."

"You're still sick, Magnus. You need the warmth of the blankets and duvet," Alexander protested. "And pajamas are a lot more comfortable in bed than the clothes you usually wear."

"You can drape a blanket over my legs once I sit in an armchair," Magnus insisted. "And if that isn't warm enough, we'll put Hoot Chi Minh under the blanket as well."

Alexander shook his head. "No, Magnus. I'm not going to risk your condition deteriorating again just because you are fed up with being in bed. Besides, it'll be a lot easier for you to get to the bathroom from here than from the living room."

Magnus wanted to protest that he would be fine in an armchair and that he didn't want to look like an invalid to Simon and Maia but closed his mouth again at his boyfriend's last sentence. He might be able to shuffle his way to the bathroom from here as long as he had Alexander to hold on to, but he was probably still too weak to manage the whole way from the living room. Especially with a full bladder. Would it really be fair to expect Alexander to carry him to and from the bathroom again just because he was worried about the impression his visitors would get of him?

Besides, the bed was really comfortable and he had everything he needed in easy reach. If he insisted on moving to the living room for this afternoon, Alexander would need to carry not just him, but also the blankets, the lozenges, the tissues, the hot water bottle…

*

Alec felt torn as he watched emotions play across his boyfriend's face. On one hand, he could understand that Magnus didn't want Simon and Maia to see him sitting in bed in his pajamas. He wouldn't like that either were he in his boyfriend's place. On the other hand, Magnus was just beginning to recover from Warlock Cold, and Alec was worried there might be another relapse.

He also seriously doubted that Magnus was strong enough already to walk from the living room to the bathroom, no matter how heavily he leaned on Alec's arm. Alec was hoping for Magnus to regain more of his independence, and Magnus letting himself be carried just because he wanted to sit in the living room felt kind of like a setback to him.

"Magnus?" He waited until the golden eyes looked up at him. "Would you be willing to compromise?"

"Compromise?" Magnus asked in a half-confused half-curious tone.

"Yes. I can understand, of course, that you'd rather not be wearing pajamas when your visitors arrive. How about this: Half an hour before they're supposed to arrive, I will help you dress in clothes of your choosing. In return, you spend their visit in bed, under the covers, except for the times you ask me – or one of them if you prefer – to walk you to the bathroom."

Magnus thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Okay." He gave his boyfriend a hopeful look. "Do I get to style my hair? I know makeup is off-limits with a head wound and I'm not sure if my hands are steady enough already for that anyway, but I'm sure I could do my hair."

Alec shook his head with a fond smile. "Alright, alright. We'll start 45 minutes before our guests are supposed to show up, and you get to pretty up your hair. Although I'd like you to know you're gorgeous just the way you are."

Magnus aimed a beaming smile at his boyfriend. "Thank you, Alexander."

"You're welcome," Alec replied. "Do you want me to read to you until that bag is empty?" he asked, gesturing towards the IV stand.

"Did you eat breakfast yet, Alexander?"

"Yes, Magnus," Alec told his boyfriend patiently. The way Magnus took care of people was one of the reasons he'd fallen in love with him. "I had a sandwich while I was preparing your breakfast."

"Then I'll gladly accept your offer."

They spent the next few hours with Alec reading to Magnus, a trip to the bathroom and an inhalation treatment the only interruptions. The latter brought up even more phlegm from Magnus' lungs.


	27. Chapter 27

"Did you move all of my clothes in here, Alexander?"

Alec, who'd just returned to the room with a cup of tea for Magnus, gave his boyfriend a startled look. "No, just the things I thought you might need the next few days. Why?" He put the cup down on the nightstand. "The tea is still very hot," he explained.

"Because I need to plan my outfit for later," Magnus said, sounding like that should have been obvious.

"Plan your outfit?" Alec glanced at the bedside clock to make sure it wasn't later already than he'd thought. No. Ten minutes past one. "It's more than two hours before Simon and Maia are supposed to arrive!"

"Looking fabulous takes careful planning!" Magnus insisted. "Which of my clothes did you move into the wardrobe in this room?"

Alec shrugged. "Some underwear, warm socks, pajamas, a few shirts and track pants. Anything that looked comfortable."

"Well, that won't do _at all_!" his boyfriend declared. "I can't greet guests wearing those."

"Simon and Maia will understand that track pants and a t-shirt are more comfortable in bed than jeans and a button-down. They won't mind." Privately, Alec thought that those two – and Simon in particular – wouldn't consider that attire out of place outside the bedroom either.

"You said I get to choose what to wear," Magnus reminded him. "And I will _not_ greet my guests wearing a sports outfit."

Alec sighed. "Alright. Tell me what you want to wear later and I'll retrieve the items from our bedroom."

Magnus gave his boyfriend a scandalized look. "I don't know yet what I want to wear. First, I need to see the options I have so I can try combining different garments into a flattering look."

"You aren't seriously expecting me to carry over _all_ your clothes!" This had to be a joke.

"I just want to look my best when our guests arrive," Magnus pouted. "Besides, I don't have that many clothes."

Alec choked on air at his boyfriend's last statement. "You have a lot more clothes than I do. Yours barely fit into the wardrobe!"

"I can always get a bigger wardrobe once I can use magic again. Then you and I will go shopping for clothes so you actually have something that isn't black and practical."

Alec frowned. "What's wrong with black and practical? Besides, I have clothes that aren't black."

"You mean the shirts that have been washed so often they are grey now? Still count as black since that's what they started out as," Magnus claimed.

"At least my wardrobe's more diverse than that of Jace," Alec told his boyfriend. He was tempted to point out every piece of clothing he owned that wasn't black or grey but changed his mind when he realized how short that list was.

"Jace actually owns more than one set of clothing?" Magnus asked with raised eyebrows.

"Ha-ha," Alec replied. "He's just into that style and buys two or three identical pieces if he likes something."

"Those things your _parabatai_ usually wears aren't any type of _style_ , they're a fashion accident. Clary really needs to take him shopping."

"Better him than me," Alec muttered quietly.

"Shopping is fun, Alexander. Shopping with _me_ is spectacular."

Apparently he hadn't said it quietly enough. "Magnus, my clothes fit, they are comfortable and practical, and they don't wrinkle too much or stain easily. They're perfect for a Shadowhunter."

Magnus shook his head. "They're unfashionable. They also don't show off your long legs, delectable ass or strong shoulders the way proper clothing should."

Alec could feel himself blush hotly. "The purpose of clothing is to _not_ show certain body parts. And to keep warm." The last was said as an afterthought.

"I wasn't asking you to walk around naked. The right type of clothing in the right fabric and color will flatter your body shape and make you look even more gorgeous," Magnus informed his boyfriend.

"You're the gorgeous one in this relationship, Magnus." Alec leaned his forehead against his boyfriend's, his hand rubbing the back of Magnus' neck. "Since it seems to be important to you, though, we can go shopping when you're well again _if_ you let me teach you archery in return."

That seemed to startle Magnus. "You want me to learn archery?"

"Why not?" Alec asked. "It'll be fun."

*

Magnus looked into Alexander's hazel eyes, which were shining with happiness and heard himself say "Deal!" He could have sworn his boyfriend's answering smile brightened up the whole room.

Well, if talking about him learning archery made Alexander look like _that_ , Magnus was looking forward to the lessons themselves. Maybe it really would be fun…

He rubbed his hands together. "Now, today's outfit… Will you please bring over the clothes that are still in the master bedroom, Alexander?"

Sighing, Alexander stood up. "Alright. Just remember that you need something you can sit in bed with – comfortably."

"All my clothes are comfortable," Magnus claimed, although he could have named a handful of garments in his wardrobe that looked great on him but weren't all that nice to wear.

His boyfriend walked out of the room without a comment and came back a few minutes later with an armful of clothes.

"Is that everything that was left in the other room?"

Alexander gave him a stunned look. "What? No, of course not. It'll take me several trips to get everything that's still wearable."

Magnus frowned. "That's still wearable?" he echoed.

"Well, some clothes have been damaged in the magical explosion. I'm sure you'll be able to restore them when you have your magic back under control."

 _Of course. If the magic blew apart a piece of wall, it stands to reason that other stuff in the room suffered as well,_ Magnus thought. Out loud, he said: "Show me then what you've brought over."

Alexander did, and Magnus sorted the garments into two categories: 'not today' and 'maybe'. Everything that he thought would make him look paler than he was or cause the reddened skin of his nose and upper lip to stand out even more fell under 'not today'. The same was true for all too plain, unicolor clothes he'd usually wear as a base for his layered looks. Staying in bed meant too many layers would only make him sweat.

Only a few items made it onto the 'maybe' pile.

Alexander folded the 'not today' clothes neatly, put them away and went to get more clothes from the master bedroom.

*

They repeated the process until all of Magnus' clothes that were still in good condition had been transferred to the guest bedroom.

Then Magnus asked Alec to hold up specific combinations of garments, trying to find the perfect outfit.

Alec's arms and shoulders began to ache and he started to question his decision to go shopping with his boyfriend. He _never_ wanted to have a wardrobe that made choosing an outfit this complicated!

When Magnus finally decided which clothes he wanted to wear, Alec felt as if he'd been standing there, holding up garments, for hours. The bedside clock showed it was only half past two, though, which meant that only forty minutes had passed.

Alec eyed his boyfriend's choice: dark purple velveteen pants with decorative silver stitching, a silver-grey silk button-down shirt with silver buttons and silver and purple embroidery on the collar and the cuffs and a black suede jacket with ornate silver buttons and intricate silver embroidery. Most definitely not something he himself would have worn in bed. Or at all.

"Alright. Let's get you dressed then."

Magnus shook his head. "Not yet. I need to brush my teeth and style my hair first. Help me to the bathroom?"

*

Magnus was sitting on a stool in front of the sink and rinsing his mouth. He'd been surprised by the fact that he'd made it all the way into the bathroom on his own two feet – leaning heavily on Alexander of course, but still. Maybe he'd be able to walk on his own again by tomorrow!

Alexander had stayed with him in case he needed any help. Or maybe to make sure he didn't take so long in here that he'd still be in his pajamas when their guests arrived…

Magnus unbuttoned his pajama top and shrugged off the garment.

Alexander caught the fabric before it touched the floor. "I thought you wanted to do your hair before you get dressed?" he asked his boyfriend, confusion evident in his voice.

"Yes, of course," Magnus replied. "Hand me a washcloth and the soap please, Alexander."

"You took a bath just a few hours ago, Magnus!" Alexander reminded him but went to fetch the requested items.

"But I feel sweaty and I want to be clean when Simon and Maia visit," Magnus insisted. He took the wet washcloth and bottle of mango-scented soap Alexander was offering him and began to thoroughly wash his neck, shoulders, arms, chest and armpits.

When he was done, Alexander handed him a towel and put away the cloth and the soap.

Magnus patted his skin dry. When his hand brushed against the hair on his chin he regretted not asking Alexander to shave him as well. His sitting position meant the mirror was too far up for him to see his face, but what he felt under his fingers had to be the most facial hair he'd worn in a long time.

He sneezed, his whole body shaking. Maybe shaving would have, in fact, been a bad idea. Sporting a full beard was still preferable to having bloody cuts on his face. Especially since he couldn't work a healing spell right now.

"Can you hand me my deodorant please, Alexander?" Just like the mirror, the bathroom cabinets behind it and next to it were out of his currently limited reach.

"Sure." Alexander retrieved the bottle and held it out to his boyfriend.

Magnus lifted both his arms instead. "Would you?"

Alexander smiled. "Of course." He uncapped the deodorant and sprayed a generous amount of the fruity-smelling fluid onto each of his boyfriend's armpits. "What do you need next?"

Magnus lowered his arms and smiled at Alexander. "Thank you. My comb and the jar of coconut-scented hair gel, please."

When he held both in his hands, Magnus realized there was one tiny problem he hadn't thought of: He still couldn't see himself in the mirror. Styling himself blindly was out of the question, of course.

*

Alec looked from Magnus' face to the items he held and back. "Magnus? Is that the wrong one? You did say coconut-scented, right?"

"It's not that," Magnus told him. "I can't see myself in the mirror."

"Oh." Alec hadn't thought of that possibility. "Do you have a hand mirror somewhere?"

Magnus shook his head. "No. I always summon one if I need it." _But I can't do that right now_ , hung in the air between them, unspoken.

"Well, you do look great the way you are," Alec told his boyfriend, stepping closer to help him back to the bedroom and into the clothes he'd chosen.

"No, I don't," Magnus replied. "I know _that_ even without a mirror. I need your help, Alexander. You know what my hair usually looks like. Just use the gel to shape it like that."

Alec took a hasty step back. "What? _Me?_ " _Magnus can't be serious!_ "I've never done that before!"

"It's very easy, really. Please, Alexander."

His boyfriend's pleading eyes almost managed to change Alec's mind. The knowledge that if he didn't manage to style Magnus' hair the way his boyfriend wanted it – which wasn't just a very real possibility but actually the most likely outcome – the day would be ruined for Magnus and he might even insist on cancelling the afternoon plans was the only thing that kept Alec from giving in.

He knew, however, that he needed to do _something_ , or Magnus might decide he didn't want any visitors until he was able to make himself look 'presentable' again.

"Alexander?"

Alec needed a solution he could present to his boyfriend. Quickly. Since he couldn't come up with anything else he offered: "Why don't I support you so you can actually stand in front of the mirror and style your hair?"

Magnus' face lit up for a moment before he sobered again. "I can't ask you to do that."

Alec smiled at his boyfriend. "One: You're not asking. I'm offering. Two: Since you can support part of your weight yourself again, I'll just be stabilizing you a bit while you shape your hair."

"If you're sure…" Magnus let the words trail off, still sounding hesitant.

"I'm sure," Alec confirmed as he stepped behind his boyfriend. "Are you ready?"

Magnus nodded slowly, obviously still not entirely convinced.

Alec put his hands on his boyfriend's waist. "On three. One, two, _three_."

Magnus pushed up with the bit of strength he had regained in his legs and Alec lifted him into a standing position. Both took a few deep breaths.

"Now just lean against the sink a little and style your hair, Magnus. I will not drop you." Alec meant it, too. Magnus was supporting enough of his own weight right now that it took barely any effort on Alec's side to keep their position stable. They could stay like this for however long it would take Magnus to be satisfied with the way his hair looked.

*

Magnus hesitated a moment longer before he began to drag the comb through his hair. His image in the mirror showed him that he had been right to ask for the gel: His hair was looking all floppy and boring and lifeless. If he couldn't do anything about the beard covering the lower half of his face, he at least wanted his hair to look presentable.

He was carefully combing through the longer hair on top of his head, when the comb got stuck in a knot of tangled hair near the back. Magnus tried to untangle those strands by gently jiggling the comb but was unsuccessful. They didn't have time for this! If he didn't get his hair done _now_ their guests would arrive while they were both still shirtless!

Determined not to suffer _that_ kind of blow to his dignity, Magnus tugged on the comb more forcefully. His scalp screamed because of the brutal treatment, and Magnus was sure he was going to lose a few hairs, but right now he didn't care. The back of his head was going to be out of his visitors' sight. Besides, he'd just style his hair so nobody would notice a missing strand or two.

With a last hard yank, the tangled hair gave way and the comb almost immediately connected with something. The next moment, the body at his back flinched, the hands on his waist clenched and Alexander yelped in pain.

"Oh my god, Alexander, I'm so sorry!" Magnus blurted. He wanted to turn around and look at the damage he'd done and then remembered that they were standing in front of a mirror.

*

Alec hadn't seen the comb coming. Or at least he hadn't done so in time to do anything about it. Fire bloomed across the right side of his chest in the wake of the comb's teeth, and warm wetness immediately began to trickle down his torso.

A glance at the mirror showed Alec two things: Magnus looking back at him, wide-eyed and pale, and four bloody punctures of varying depth maybe two inches below his collarbone and slightly to the right of his sternum. They weren't just round puncture wounds, though. Their edges were torn, scratches leading down and to the right.

"Alexander, say something, _please_!" Magnus' voice was shaking and his whole body was trembling now.

"Ouch." Alec could hear that his voice sounded slightly unsteady, and the pain in the wounds intensified with the bit of movement.

He'd need to clean the wounds and check for splinters from the horn comb or transferred hairs before he could sensibly activate his _iratze_.

Magnus hadn't moved and was still staring at him in the mirror, the hand with the comb hanging limply at his side.

"You need to sit down for a moment," Alec told his boyfriend. Even the slight effort of stabilizing Magnus was causing him additional discomfort in the injuries.

Magnus looked kind of dazed but let Alec help him sit down on the stool again.

Alec waited a moment until he was sure Magnus wouldn't slide off the stool the second he let go. Then he bent over the sink and splashed several handfuls of water onto the wounds. The spikes of pain made him hiss.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Alec sighed.


	28. Chapter 28

Jace was smirking inwardly.

Renato Owlflight was a rather unhappy young man right now. He'd been obviously disappointed that he hadn't been greeted by the Head of the Institute upon his arrival. The orders Jace had handed him hadn't improved the kid's mood at all. On the contrary.

As a result, Jace had the doubtful pleasure of leading a pretty sullen intern through the facilities.

Their first stop had been the room they had prepared for the newest member of their Institute. Among all the free rooms, this had been the one farthest from Alec's, Jace', Izzy's and Clary's rooms. Both the room next to it and the one across the hall were occupied, so Owlflight couldn't claim they'd housed him separate from the other Shadowhunters.

Jace had given his charge time to unpack, and now they were on their way to the mess hall when Jace suddenly winced and faltered in his steps as sharp pain bloomed on his chest.

"Mr. Herondale? Are you alright?" Renato Owlflight immediately wanted to know.

"I'm fine," Jace informed him, trying for a calm tone and almost succeeding. He knew that it wasn't really _his_ chest that was hurting. What on earth was Alec doing _this time_?

They'd reached the mess hall and almost collided with Raj in the doorway. Jace immediately took that opportunity to get rid of Owlflight for a short time. "Raj, this is Renato Owlflight, Alec's new intern. Can you please show him the mess hall while I take care of an important phone call I have to make?" His tone was friendly, but his expression heavily implied that this was not a friendly request.

Jace didn't wait for a reply from either Raj or Owlflight but turned around on his heel and walked down the corridor a few steps. A glance over his shoulder told him, that the other two men had entered the mess hall and closed the door behind them.

As he took out his phone, Jace made the decision to text Alec instead of calling him. Less chance of anyone hearing him scold the Head of Institute, if that turned out to be necessary.

 _What on earth did you do now, Alec?_ He wrote and hit send.

*

Alec had already expected his _parabatai_ to react to the injury. He bristled a little at the implication that it was _his_ fault there was blood dripping down his torso, though. He hadn't done anything to cause it!

 _Just a small accident w a comb. No need to worry,_ Alec replied before using a towel to pat his chest dry.

It didn't take long for Jace to react. _A comb? What did you do?_

Why did Jace have to be so insistent? He knew, of course, why Jace wanted an explanation. That actually was his own fault for blocking the bond two nights ago. Still, if they wanted to be ready by the time their guests arrived he didn't have time to explain everything to Jace – who was supposed to be keeping a certain intern busy right now.

_Long story. Tell you another time. Expecting visitors. My intern still alive?_

Taking his witchlight stone out of his pocket, Alec leaned closer to the mirror and used the additional light to look for foreign objects in the wounds. When he couldn't see any, he used the tips of his fingers to carefully probe at the injuries. The pain made him wince and groan.

"Alexander, what are you doing? Can I do anything to help?"

His phone buzzed again, but Alec ignored it for the moment and turned his head slightly until he could see Magnus from the corner of his eye. His boyfriend looked devastated and was wringing his hands.

The comb lay on the edge of the second sink. A few droplets of blood had dripped of its teeth and were sliding down towards the drain.

"Just give me a moment, Magnus. I'll be done shortly." Alec would have preferred to just get on with the job at hand but couldn't bear the sight of his boyfriend's despair in silence. "It looks worse than it is."

"I really didn't mean to hurt you," Magnus said in a subdued voice.

"I know. It's alright." Alec read Jace' message, not wanting to give his _parabatai_ any reason to worry about him even more. _Alive and well and touring the mess hall w Raj. Don't worry._ Alec put his phone away with a small smile.

Since he was certain now that there were no splinters or other foreign objects in the wounds, Alec fished his stele out of his back pocket and activated his _iratze_. Immediately, the pain in his chest ceased to exist. The stele went back into the pocket, and Alec bent over the sink again to wash off the last of the blood.

The young Shadowhunter was quite glad that only Magnus – and Jace – had witnessed this new injury, and he wasn't going to risk some leftover traces of blood betraying what had happened. He'd never hear the end of it!

Since both vampires and werewolves had keen noses, Alec grabbed the soap and washcloth next and meticulously scrubbed his torso. The comb was treated to a thorough cleaning as well.

"Alexander? What are you doing?"

"Making sure neither Simon nor Maia smell fresh blood when they arrive," Alec replied over his shoulder. A quick glance at his phone told him that they better hurry if they both wanted to be dressed by the time their visitors showed up.

"Oh. Good thinking."

And he needed to do something to improve Magnus' mood, Alec decided. Otherwise, this would probably be a terrible afternoon.

Alec knelt down next to the stool and took one of his boyfriend's hands in his own, gently caressing the skin with his thumb. "Magnus, I'm fine. Here, feel for yourself." And he lifted Magnus' hand to his chest and let him touch the smooth skin. "No harm done."

*

Magnus softly rubbed Alexander's skin and swallowed. Seeing his boyfriend's bleeding chest had been terrifying. Knowing that he'd caused the injury in the first place had felt devastating. Just the thought that he could have gravely injured the man he loved with his carelessness… And for what? So his visitors wouldn't see him less than perfectly styled? Without Alexander's loving care he wouldn't be alive anymore, much less inviting people over. How did he repay this wonderful man? By hurting him _again_!

He was brought out of his thoughts by Alexander cupping his face with one hand. "Let's get you ready before our guests arrive."

Magnus gave his boyfriend a startled look. "You don't have to… it's not… I can just wear pajamas…" Why would Alexander still want to help him dress up? After what he'd done to him?

"Nonsense," Alexander brushed aside his suggestion. "You chose your outfit so carefully. It would be a shame not to wear it. First we need to style your hair, though."

Magnus watched in awed surprise as his happily smiling boyfriend picked up the comb and stepped behind him.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," Alexander told his boyfriend as he started to disentangle the dark strands with the comb.

Sitting very still on the stool, Magnus let his boyfriend work the knots out of his hair. It hurt a lot less than he would have expected. Even the mess at the back of his head seemed to barely challenge Alexander.

*

As soon as Magnus' hair was all smooth and orderly, Alec put the comb aside and, after a moment's hesitation, reached for the jar of gel. After what had just happened, he sincerely doubted he'd be able to convince his boyfriend to try and style his own hair while Alec made sure he didn't collapse. Since he also knew how much his appearance mattered to Magnus, there was really just one option.

"Alright, Magnus. I'm going to try this, and will gladly take the blame later if the styling is not up to your usual standards." Which would be the case. Alec harbored no illusions about that.

He waited for Magnus to overcome his surprise and nod before he opened the jar and scooped out a small amount of the coconut-scented gel.

Alec rubbed his hands together, spreading the sticky substance across his fingers, and then dragged his hands through Magnus' hair near the scalp. Noticing that the dark strands actually stayed more or less in the shape he'd tugged them into made Alec grow bolder. He added a bit more gel to his fingers and attempted to imitate his boyfriend's favorite hairstyle.

Despite his best efforts, Alec didn't succeed entirely, but in his humble opinion, the results came close. He was still nervous when he washed his hands and helped Magnus to his feet. Would his boyfriend agree with his assessment?

*

Magnus felt queasy and wasn't sure if anticipation or dread was the source. Probably a bit of both. His emotions were in turmoil. He was still feeling horrified by what he'd done to Alexander, guilty for the pain he had caused the man he loved, saddened by the negative turn the day had taken, surprised by his boyfriend's forgiveness, elated by and grateful for Alexander's willingness to explore unknown territory and learn new skills and unsure about how to proceed.

He was, of course, hoping that his boyfriend had managed a presentable hairstyle he could praise and thank him for. What if not, though? What if his hair looked abysmal now? They surely owed each other honesty, but did he really have the right to criticize Alexander's valiant efforts? Or should he praise the result no matter what? Would he even be able to do that convincingly even if his hair looked absolutely terrible?

Magnus hadn't been able to come to a decision by the time he was standing upright again. He raised his eyes to look at the mirror – and was struck speechless. The silence stretched between them.

"Magnus? Is it that bad?" Alexander wanted to know, voice laced with insecurity.

"Wha—" Magnus looked at his boyfriend and then back at his own reflection. "No, Alexander. It looks good. Really good. Thank you!" And it was the naked truth. Magnus would never have expected his boyfriend's first attempt at hairstyling to be this successful. While his hair did not look as if he himself had styled it, Magnus liked the look Alexander had given him and decided it combined well with the shape of his face.

"I may even ask you to do my hair more often in the future. I like this style." Magnus was turning his head from side to side so the mirror showed him as much of his hair as was possible without access to a second one.

Alexander's eyebrows went up. "I thought this was just a one-time thing and you'd be very glad to get to do your own hair again afterwards. I mean, I'm happy you like today's results but there's no guarantee I'll manage this a second time and you have a lot more experience styling hair and—"

Magnus' giggle stopped his boyfriend's babbling almost instantaneously.

"Are you mocking me??"

Magnus had some trouble getting enough air into his lungs to be able to speak but finally managed a reply to his boyfriend's incredulous question. "No, Alexander. It's just… my words were meant as a compliment, not as a threat. If you'd prefer never to style my hair again, that is fine as well."

*

Alec felt his face heat up. It wasn't that he never wanted to style his boyfriend's hair again. Working the gel into the dark strands had actually been kind of fun. Unfortunately, he didn't know how and why he'd managed to achieve a presentable result, which meant he had absolutely no idea how to reproduce it. He didn't want to see Magnus' disappointed face if it turned out he _couldn't_ reproduce it. However, he also didn't want his boyfriend to think he didn't _want_ to perform this small service for him.

"Magnus… it's not that I don't want to do it," Alec began his explanation hesitantly. "I'm just not sure I _can_ do this," he gestured towards his boyfriend's hair, "again. I have no idea how I did it. I just followed my gut."

Magnus seemed completely unfazed by his admission. "Then you'll just follow your gut again. You obviously have good instincts."

"But… what if your hair looks terrible next time?"

Magnus shrugged. "Either I take a shower to wash out the gel or I use my magic. As disastrous as a bad hair day can be, magic always helps."

Alec wasn't convinced yet, and Magnus seemed to sense that because he added: "If you're really this worried the result might look bad you can try again on a day we intend to spend at home and without visitors. At least until you develop a bit more confidence in your skills and instincts."

Alec bristled at that. He had confidence in his skills! Well, his _fighting_ skills, mostly. Shadowhunters weren't usually taught about things like hairstyling. Or manicures. Or beauty treatments. Come to think of it, maybe just _male_ Shadowhunters weren't taught about those things. His mother and sister clearly knew about them.

How much mocking would he have to endure, Alec mused, if he asked Izzy for advice on styling Magnus' hair the next time he caught her alone? Would it be worth it if it meant making his boyfriend happy? He'd have to give the question some more thought.

"We should get dressed now, Magnus," Alec told his boyfriend, both because he wanted to change the subject and because they were in danger of running out of time.

Magnus nodded and let his boyfriend support him on the way to the bedroom.

*

It took them less time to get him dressed than Magnus had thought. Being able to actively contribute again made a huge difference.

Alexander had slipped warm socks on his feet while he was sitting on the edge of the mattress. Next had been fresh underwear and the purple pants.

Once the fabric had been up to his knees, Magnus had stood up with his boyfriend's help and pulled up and fastened the pants while Alexander had stabilized him. Magnus had managed to put on and button the shirt without help once he'd sat down again. The heavier jacked had posed more of a challenge, and Magnus had been quite glad when Alexander had reached out and helped him settle the garment perfectly on his shoulders.

Magnus scooted back on the bed until he could feel the pillows at his back and watched Alexander draw up the covers over his legs.

"Is this warm enough, or should I get you a hot water bottle?" Alexander asked him.

Taking a moment to think about the question, Magnus quickly realized that he wasn't going to need an additional heat source. These clothes were quite a bit warmer than his pajamas. They were also less comfortable in bed, but not so uncomfortable that Magnus felt willing to greet his visitors dressed in sleepwear.

*

Alec was tempted to go and heat up some water anyway when Magnus shook his head but refrained from doing so. If his boyfriend got cold later on, there'd still be time to do something about it.

He grabbed a black tank top from the wardrobe and pulled it over his head on the way to the door when Magnus' voice stopped him.

"Are you going to wear _that_?" Magnus sounded incredulous.

Alec looked down his body – dressed in the tank top and black track pants – and frowned. "Yes. Why?"

"But…" Magnus seemed to be at a loss for words momentarily but quickly recovered from it. "We're going to have visitors, Alexander. Don't you want to at least put on jeans and something that has sleeves?"

"No?" Alec replied. "Look, Magnus, I intend to feed the cats and tidy up the apartment and go through my training routine while Simon and Maia keep you company. Simon has already seen me in workout clothes so I see no reason to dress up now and then change in the living room."

Magnus scowled slightly at that but was silenced by the muffled sounds of a knock, a door opening and closing and two sets of footsteps.

Alec walked out into the hallway to greet their guests.

*

Magnus was left in the bedroom alone. He could hear voices – Alexander's, Simon's and Maia's – but they were too muffled for him to make out what they were saying.

Brushing his hands across the covers, smoothing out wrinkles in the fabric, Magnus waited impatiently. He'd just tugged his shirt collar straight when the door opened again.

Alexander came in first and held the door open so Maia could walk through. The young werewolf had both hands full as she was carrying a large basket, decorated with iridescent foil, dark blue glittery ribbons and flowers.

She was bringing him a gift basket! Magnus' eyes shone and he was smiling ear to ear.

Simon followed Maia into the room, his guitar case slung across his back.

"Hello Magnus," Maia greeted him, not even a little out of breath. "You look _good_."

"I wish I had ever looked as well when I had a cold," Simon added, impressed. "How do you feel?"

Alexander meanwhile indicated for Maia to place the gift basket on the bed within Magnus' reach.

"I feel a lot better already," Magnus informed his visitors. "And I'm very glad you both came."

"It's our pleasure," Maia, who was free of her burden now, assured him.

"Can I get you anything?" Alexander asked their guests. "Coffee? Water? Orange ju— oh. I'm sorry, Simon. I didn't think of getting something for you as well."

Magnus assumed his expression was as crestfallen as his boyfriend's right now. _I should have reminded Alexander to ask one of the others to bring by some blood. It didn't even cross my mind, though. What kind of a host am I turning into?_ He was caught so deeply in his thoughts that he almost missed Simon's reply.

"It's fine, Alec," the vampire was saying. "I don't expect everyone to have blood in their fridge so I brought a thermos," he gestured towards a pocket on his guitar case. "All I need is a cup."

"Then you shall have one," Alexander told him, no small amount of relief in his voice. He turned towards Maia "And what would you like to drink?"

"Coffee, please," the werewolf informed him with a smile. "Milk, no sugar."

Alexander left, presumably to fetch the coffee and additional cup, and Magnus' attention was drawn by the gift basket again. "You didn't need to bring me anything," he felt compelled to tell his guests.

"I know," Simon said. "We just thought you could use this stuff in your situation."

Magnus' fingers itched with the urge to rip away the foil and get at the contents of the basket.

"Go on, have a look," Maia encouraged him with a grin.

Despite being very curious, Magnus took his time carefully opening the beautifully folded and draped foil. When the contents of the basket were finally revealed to him, he gasped. "You guys are amazing!" he breathed as he picked up one item after another: two boxes of balsam tissues, a big jar of honey, a bag of mini salted pretzels, three sachets of tea blends called Energize Me, Anti-flu and Ginger Lemon, a box of chocolate truffles, red and green grapes, two bananas, an apple, a pear and two peaches.

"Wow, that's a lot of stuff!"

Magnus looked up and saw Alexander standing in the doorway, two cups in one hand and a mug in the other. "Isn't it great?" Magnus asked in his boyfriend's direction without actually expecting an answer. "You have to come look at all these things!"

"I will, in a moment," Alexander replied, stepping closer and handing Maia a steaming mug. "Coffee with milk."

"Thank you, Alec," the young werewolf answered as she took the mug.

"And one empty cup for you," Alexander told Simon, holding said item out to him.

The vampire accepted the cup with a quiet "Thanks!"

Alexander put the second cup down on the nightstand next to Magnus. "Elderflower tea," he explained. "You should drink something as well."

"Thank you, Alexander." Magnus reached out for the cup and lifted it carefully, grateful that his boyfriend had only filled the cup a little over half way. That meant there was no risk he'd spill the tea even though his hands were a little shaky still.

As he sipped his tea, he watched his boyfriend examine the plethora of gifts Simon and Maia had brought for him. Alexander was quite obviously as impressed by it as he himself had been.

"Do you want me to take the basket into the kitchen? Or do you want to eat any of it right now?"

Magnus pondered Alexander's question for a moment before he replied. "I'm not hungry at the moment. Please put it all in the kitchen for now." He helped his boyfriend place everything back into the basket.

Alexander then picked the basket up and turned to face their guests. "If you don't mind, I'll be in the living room or the kitchen to catch up on some things. Just call for me if you or Magnus need anything."

"Okay, sure thing," Simon said with a shrug.

Maia nodded.

Magnus smiled at his boyfriend. "Go on. We'll be fine."


	29. Chapter 29

Leaving the basket in the kitchen, Alec went to collect the cats' dishes from the balcony. The cats were already waiting for him, brushing against his legs, nudging his hands and a black one even jumping onto his shoulder as he crouched and lashing him across the face with its tail.

"Hey, stop that," he told the cat, who didn't seem impressed. Instead, it meowed – loudly – right next to his ear and started to lick his hair.

"What are— no, don't lick me. Get off!"

In the end, he had to put down the dishes and use both hands to pluck the clingy cat off his shoulder, and ended up with several bloody scratches. Alec decided he'd keep an eye out for and his distance from that particular cat in the future.

In light of his _parabatai_ 's reaction to his last few injuries, Alec immediately sent off a short message. _Just got scratched by a cat. Everything's fine._ That would hopefully spare him another scolding via test message.

*

"Why don't you pull over those armchairs and sit down," Magnus told his visitors, partly because he wanted them to feel comfortable enough to stay a while and partly because he didn't want to have to look up at them all the time.

Simon and Maia complied. Once they'd both settled comfortably, Simon gestured towards Magnus' forehead. "What happened there?"

 _Oh for god's sake, not this again!_ "Small magical accident," Magnus replied out loud.

"Magical accident? What were you trying to do? Summon a book because you were bored and it smacked you in the face?"

Maia snorted.

Magnus glared at Simon. "No."

The vampire frowned. "Wait, when I called Clary to brainstorm about gifts she said you can't use magic right now. How can you have had a magical accident if you can't use magic?"

Why did everyone he knew have to be so damn curious? Couldn't just one of them _not_ pry? Magnus sighed. "Using my magic was the cause for the accident. I also didn't use it on purpose." That would hopefully satisfy the vampire's curiosity.

Simon frowned. "Not on purpose? So your magic somehow got away from you? Can it happen again? Did you take precautions?"

"Easy, Simon. Give Magnus a chance to answer your questions before you add more," Maia told her boyfriend.

Magnus would have preferred not to answer any of those questions, but he also wasn't interested in setting off another guessing game. He sighed and gave his visitors a brief summary of the events that had led to his wound.

Maia winced in sympathy.

"Wait, you… I mean, your knee…" Simon cringed and automatically curled in on himself, legs pressed tightly together. "That must have hurt like hell!"

*

With the cats happily munching away on their fresh food, Alec settled himself comfortably on a sofa and took out his phone again. _How did it go with my new intern?_ He typed and sent the message off to Jace.

It took less than a minute for his _parabatai_ 's answer to arrive. _He's sulking._

Alec grinned. _Sulking? What did you do to him?_

_Welcomed him to the Institute in your name. Handed him your orders. Refused to call you back to the Institute._

That made Alec chuckle. _If he's sulking because he doesn't like his orders, he's nowhere near ready to be Head of Institute._

 _I shall impart your wisdom to him, oh fearless leader_ , came Jace' almost instantaneous reply.

Alec regretted that he wouldn't be able to see Renato Owlflight's face when his _parabatai_ did just that. _Don't let him skip the rest of the tour of the Institute or any other activities you've planned for tonight. You don't want him too well-rested tomorrow._

 _Got it covered_ , Jace wrote back. A moment later, he added: _Wanna bet? I say Renato Owlflight will collapse before dinner time, no matter how well-rested he is in the morning. Loser buys winner dinner at restaurant of winner's choosing._

 _No bet_ , Alec told Jace. _Don't want to have to explain to Aldertree how his nephew could die from a heart attack while honing his fighting skills at my Institute._

 _Spoilsport!_ His parabatai claimed. _I won't kill him. Just exhaust him. Make sure he doesn't have enough breath left to keep complaining._

 _You do that_ , Alec was typing when the guest room door opened.

"Alec? Magnus says he needs your assistance." That was Simon's voice.

"Be right there," Alec called, then typed _Gotta go. Have fun tomorrow!_ , sent the message to Jace and made his way to the bedroom.

*

Magnus decided he really liked having guests. Of course he'd known before that he was a social creature and needed human – and not-so-human – contact. That he'd enjoy having visitors this much, though, despite the cough and the clogged nose and the slight fever?

Simon and Maia told him the things he'd missed out on in the last twelve days or so of being ill – and before that, when he'd been working himself to exhaustion re-warding the Institute.

And Maia managed to make them both laugh by describing some of the weirder customers she'd encountered at the Hunter's Moon so far.

Magnus and Maia were in the middle of exchanging drink recipes when the warlock realized he was in need of another trip to the bathroom. He could of course hold it in for quite a bit longer, but then Alexander might actually set a timer in the future. He'd better not risk that.

Magnus cleared his throat. "Simon? Could you ask Alexander to come here, please? I need his assistance."

Simon seemed to be on the verge of asking for specifics but apparently thought better of it. "Sure." He stood up, walked to the door, opened it and stuck his head into the hallway. "Alec? Magnus says he needs your assistance."

Well, that was a very efficient way of getting the job done, Magnus mused. Not a single step more than absolutely necessary. Alexander's reply – 'Be right there' – was somewhat muffled by distance but still perfectly audible to Magnus.

Simon walked back to his armchair and sat down again. "Is there anything we can help with, Magnus?"

"Maybe you could open the window wide once I'm in the bathroom? That is, if it isn't too cold for you then."

"I don't get cold easily," Maia informed him.

"And I don't feel the cold anymore," Simon added. "So of course we'll air the room."

At that moment, Alexander stepped into the room and smiled at Magnus. "You called?"

Magnus returned his boyfriend's smile. "Technically, it was Simon who called, but yes, I need your help, Alexander, in getting to the bathroom without falling flat on my face."

Alexander immediately walked over to his boyfriend's side of the bed and held out his arm so Magnus could use it to pull himself to his feet.

"Do you always wear purple pants in bed?" Simon asked with raised eyebrows.

Magnus leveled a haughty look at him. "No. Normally, I wear a red silk thong, but Alexander convinced me to don more modest clothing today so as not to make our guests blush."

Simon was spluttering, Maia was howling with laughter and Magnus walked into the bathroom, holding onto Alexander's arm. An arm that he could feel shake slightly as his boyfriend kept his lips pressed tightly together and his gaze straight forward.

*

When Magnus and Alexander returned to the bedroom, everyone had their expressions under control again. The two of them had used their time in the bathroom for more or less silent laughs and felt ready to face their guests once more now.

Simon and Maia weren't betraying any sign of their initial reactions anymore. The vampire was sitting in his armchair, sipping on a cup that had to contain blood, while his girlfriend was closing the bedroom window.

Alexander helped Magnus back to the bed and pulled the covers up to his waist. "Do you need anything else?"

Magnus smiled up at his boyfriend and shook his head. "No, I'm good. Thank you, Alexander."

"I'll take a glass of water," Maia interrupted their moment.

*

Alec breathed in deeply as he stepped through the door and onto the sidewalk. It felt strange to leave Magnus with Simon and Maia, but by the Angel, he'd missed this! Besides, his boyfriend was well taken care of. Alec had left a carafe of water for Maia, a thermos with tea and a plate of saltines for Magnus in the bedroom, and Simon had his phone number, just in case.

After checking quickly that he had both his seraph blade and his stele with him – glamored, of course – Alec started to jog down the street. He welcomed the sun shining down on him and the wind tousling his hair.

While the last ten days had often been physically and mentally exhausting, there had been very few opportunities for him to work out, and he'd begun to feel it. A restlessness, an urge to include more physical activity, a yearning for the weapons practice he went through at the Institute every day.

Which was only logical, Alec mused as he turned left into another street. Even before Magnus had fallen ill, the attack on the Institute had meant he'd been too busy to train most days.

After a while, Alec sped up a little. This felt familiar, almost like coming home. He took out his phone and made sure he hadn't set it to vibrate – or worse, silent mode. Under no circumstances did he want to miss Simon's call – if Simon even called. Rationally, he knew there was no reason for Magnus' condition to deteriorate right now. The medication was working, and his boyfriend was much better already. Yet he still couldn't shake that last bit of worry…

His phone buzzed and beeped, and Alec immediately slipped it out of his pocket again to accept the call – only to realize that it was a text message from his sister. _C. says Magnus needs no more IV. IV in the evening only if his blood sugar is under 70._ Now, that was good news. His boyfriend would be very glad he didn't have to sit there with a bag attached to his hand for 90 minutes in the morning and then again in the evening.

Alec put his phone back into his pocket and swerved right, into the closest park. The air here smelled cleaner – or maybe that was just his imagination – and he inhaled deeply. This was great!

*

Magnus sipped his tea and waited for Simon to put down his cup before he spoke. "So, since you brought your guitar, is there a chance I'll get to hear your current set? I would have loved to come to one of your gigs, but I was really sick and also couldn't risk infecting other warlocks."

Simon smiled at him. "I can understand that. And I'd be honored to play my set for you."

Magnus idly noticed that Simon seemed to have settled into being a vampire. Although he'd just consumed a cup full of blood, his lips and teeth were free of red stains.

It took a few minutes for Simon to unpack and tune his guitar, but then he started playing.

Maia and Magnus listened attentively and applauded after each song. It was true, heart-felt applause, at least on Magnus' part. His feet were twitching with the rhythm, and he sometimes closed his eyes and just let the music wash over him, surround him, hug him…

*

Alec jogged up the stairs to the apartment and took out his phone when he reached the door. He'd been out for a little over an hour. A light sheen of sweat covered his skin, and the back of his tank top was wet between his shoulder blades, but he could have gone on for much longer.

There had been no call from Simon, so Magnus should be fine. Still, it didn't feel right to Alec to stay out for several hours. He could take longer runs again once Magnus had recovered from Warlock Cold.

Alec opened the apartment door quietly and immediately heard the music. _Simon is playing for Magnus. Good._ He had to admit that the vampire was, in fact, a talented singer and musician. It almost made him regret he hadn't been here to listen to the rest of the performance. Just almost, though. He'd _needed_ that run.

Alec waited until the current song was over before he opened the door, stepped into the room and joined Magnus and Maia in applauding Simon. "That's a great song."

"You're back." Magnus gave him a beaming smile.

"Thank you," Simon said at the same time as Maia asked "Did you enjoy your run?"

"The run was great and just what I needed today," he told the werewolf who nodded knowingly. Of course, she was probably the person in the room who understood best what not getting to go outside and run meant to someone who wasn't used to being cooped up.

The way Magnus' face fell slightly at his words immediately made Alec feel guilty. He didn't want his boyfriend to think he didn't want to be there with him! "And it looks like you found a good way to pass the time as well. Was that last song new, or part of your current gigs?"

Simon seemed surprised by his interest in the music but answered the question nonetheless. "Part of the set I perform at my gigs. I have written a few new songs in the last two months or so, but it's not enough for a full set yet."

Magnus perked up at that. "Will you play the new songs for us as well? Please?"

"If you want… I mean…" Simon was groping for words. "If you don't mind us staying a bit longer? We don't want to mess up your evening plans, dinner, whatever."

Alec, seeing how much his boyfriend was looking forward to more songs, just shrugged. "I can always text Izzy to find out which of them is coming over tonight. Then I'll ask that person to bring enough takeout – or, in Simon's case, blood – for all of us."

"In that case, I'd be happy to play my new songs for you as well," Simon announced.

"If we get a say in the choice of takeout, I'd like a steak, rare," Maia threw in.

Alec grinned. "Duly noted." He typed a quick message to Izzy and received her reply just a few moments later. _Clary on duty tonight. I'm needed at the Institute._ Well, that was probably his own fault. With Jace busy babysitting Renato Owlflight, Izzy would have to take over some of his _parabatai_ 's regular duties. "Looks like Clary is going to be having dinner with us tonight. Magnus, is it alright if I order chicken soup for you?"

Magnus nodded without hesitation. "Sure. Sounds good to me."

"So, chicken soup for Magnus, steak – rare – for Maia… do you want greens with that or fries or something?"

"Both, actually," Maia told him.

"Okay." Alec scrolled down to Clary's number and wrote _We have guests for dinner. Please bring blood for Simon, chicken soup for Magnus, steak (rare) w greens & fries for Maia, steak (medium rare) w greens & fries for me and whatever you'd like to eat._ "Dinner is ordered," he told the others.

"Great. Do we have more tea?" Magnus asked him.

"Not right now, but I can always make fresh one. Do you want to try one of the blends Simon and Maia brought?"

His boyfriend thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Ginger Lemon, please."

Alec turned around to go to the kitchen when his phone announced the arrival of a new text message. _K. Be there around 8_ , he read. When he shared the information with the others, worried that Simon and Maia might consider that too late for dinner, they surprised him again, stating that they were sure they'd find a way to pass the time.

*

Alec moved some furniture in the living room and then began with his stretching exercises. He'd made Ginger Lemon tea for Magnus and brought the thermos to the bedroom before he'd excused himself to complete his training before dinner.

Simon had obviously started playing again, and Alec could hear the music through the closed bedroom door. Those new songs were really good. Maybe he should take Magnus to one of the vampire's gigs once his boyfriend was well again.

He finished the stretches with a wide V-stretch, as always, and continued with push-ups. He really needed to get back to regular strength exercises or he'd be in trouble when he returned to the Institute. Alec was ready to bet that Renato Owlflight was going to do his very best to find some flaw or error on his part that he could report. Not being combat-ready would put him in a bad light and support the Clave's theory that being in a relationship with a Downworlder was bad for a Nephilim. He resolved to fit at least two hours of exercise into every further day he spent at Magnus' apartment.

*

The music had long changed from Simon's own creations to popular songs when Alec entered the bedroom again. He'd finished his strength exercises, staff training and stretching and was soaked in sweat from head to toes.

"You're not sitting at the dinner table with us like this," Magnus told him with a frown.

Alec grinned at him. "Who says you get to sit at the dinner table?" At his boyfriend's shocked look, he relented. "Of course I won't have you eat in here on your own. Now I'm going to use the twenty minutes until Clary arrives for a shave, a shower and a change of clothes."

He grabbed towels, clean underwear, jeans and a button-down shirt from the wardrobe and dresser and disappeared into the bathroom.


	30. Chapter 30

Magnus had to say that he'd greatly enjoyed this afternoon. Of course the music and company hadn't miraculously cured his cough or kept his nose from running, but the music had been great and the conversation funny and interesting and engaging. He was very glad that Alexander had basically invited Simon and Maia for dinner as well because that meant they would stay at least until nine.

He had, naturally, missed Alexander's presence, both during his one-hour run and the time he'd been exercising in the living room. Magnus was very glad, though, that his boyfriend had taken that time for himself. It must have been difficult for him, not being able to train the way he was used to. Archery was probably what Alexander missed the most right now, since there was no way he could practice it at the apartment. Maybe he should change that as soon as he had his magic back. Maybe they needed different, bigger lodgings, where there was enough space for him to include a fully equipped archery range for his boyfriend. Maybe even with magically moving targets for more varied training opportunities.

Now that he thought about it, it might be a good idea to buy a house with enough space to include spacious training facilities: a pool, a gym, a training room with magically moving dummies for combat exercises, an archery range, a sauna for relaxation after training… It would take a bit of planning since he'd never created anything like it, but he was sure Alexander would approve. Maybe he'd give it to him for his next birthday. Or Valentine's Day. He'd have to think about it. It would, of course, depend on how quickly he managed to set it all up.

Right now, Magnus was looking forward to the chicken soup. It wasn't exactly his favorite food, but that Alexander was ordering 'normal' takeout for him was a sign that he was definitely getting better. Maybe he'd get to eat the same things as his boyfriend tomorrow if his stomach tolerated the chicken soup tonight. It would be nice not to be stuck with tea, saltines, plain rice and broth anymore. Although the onion soup had been tasty as well.

When Alexander exited the bathroom again, Magnus let his gaze trail down his body appreciatively. His boyfriend looked _good_ in the black jeans and burgundy button-down, the tousled black hair obviously still wet from the shower. If he weren't sick right now and if their guests weren't present he'd jump the man right here and now!

"You dress up nicely," Maia stated. "Did you do that for us, or is that your normal attire indoors?"

Magnus almost growled at the werewolf. That man was his and his alone!

But Alexander just chuckled. "I'm doing it for Magnus who prefers me to dress up a bit if we have guests over."

*

"I always like it when you dress up. Not just when we have guests," Magnus purred.

Alec felt heat rush to his face. Trust his boyfriend to make him blush in public… "Well, I guess we should go to the kitchen so I can set the table. Clary will be here any minute now," he quickly changed the subject. At least it was true, as a quick look at the bedside clock told him.

As Simon moved to put his guitar away, Maia turned to look at Alec. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Can you and Simon take the thermos, the carafe and the cups and glass to the kitchen?" Alec stepped closer to the bed and held his arm out to Magnus so his boyfriend could pull himself to his feet.

"Sure," Maia replied and started picking up said items.

Alec waited until Magnus had found his balance and then slowly walked his boyfriend to the kitchen.

*

Alec was just about to pull the bedroom door shut behind them when he heard the apartment door open.

A few moments later, Clary came into view, carrying two bags.

"Good evening, Magnus, Alec," she greeted them.

"Good evening to you, too, biscuit," Magnus said.

Alec nodded at Clary and saw from the corner of his eye that Simon and Maia were returning from the kitchen – probably attracted by the sound of them talking.

"How are you, Magnus?" Clary wanted to know.

"A lot better," he stated.

"Clary!" Simon had reached them now, closely followed by his girlfriend. He pulled Clary into a tight embrace. "It is so nice to see you. How are you doing?"

Clary hugged him back as fiercely as she could while still keeping hold of her bags. "It's good to see you, too, Simon. I'm good. How are you?" She pulled away when Maia stepped closer.

The two women stood facing each other and seemed unsure of what to do. Their hands twitched but they didn't embrace and finally almost simultaneously uttered an awkward "Hey."

Before the following silence could grow too heavy, Magnus spoke up. "We should move this to the kitchen. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling rather hungry right now."

Everyone else immediately agreed, and the group walked to the kitchen.

Alec helped Magnus sit down on a chair and then handed plates and cutlery to Maia and put glasses as well as water and orange juice on the table. Simon meanwhile helped Clary unpack the food.

"Here, I brought this from the Hunter's Moon," Clary told him as she handed him a thermos.

Simon's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Clary." He didn't need to open the bottle to know what was in it.

As soon as everyone was seated and had their chosen meal in front of them – Clary had brought a chicken salad for herself – they dug in hungrily, and Magnus was surprised that his hand didn't shake this time, allowing him to eat the soup without spilling anything. He'd been somewhat worried about that.

*

Once they'd polished off their food and put away the dishes, they all leaned back comfortably. Alec, remembering how much Clary's priorities differed from his own, decided not to repeat his mistake from her last evening visit. "Do you have any news from the Institute?"

"Not much," Clary told him, already turning around to start a conversation with Simon.

"I'm interested in _any_ news from the Institute, even if it isn't much or seems unimportant," Alec insisted with a mental sigh. Maybe he should ask Jace or Izzy to text him their reports on days when Clary was doing the evening visit.

Clary heaved a sigh. "Well, that Owlflight guy is apparently prone to tantrums, and Jace enjoys messing with him. Since Jace is on babysitting duty, Izzy enlisted my help filing reports. I think this was my most boring day as a Shadowhunter so far."

Alec almost shook his head at her suffering tone. Filing reports wasn't what he'd call fun either, but someone had to do it. In the current situation, everyone had to pitch in. That was the only way they'd managed to pull it off so far. There were also far worse duties than filing documents. Someone was on ichor duty, for example…

Simon and Maia, who didn't know about the recent developments at the Institute, looked curious. "Owlflight guy? Is there a new Shadowhunter at the Institute? And why is he throwing tantrums?"

Alec sighed in response to Simon's question. "The Clave has sent me an intern. I'm supposed to teach the young man how to run an Institute. Do you remember Victor Aldertree, my predecessor?"

Simon shuddered and nodded. Maia winced, as Simon had told her all about his encounters with that man.

"My new intern is Aldertree's nephew. I have to assume he's being sent to the Institute to catch me doing something wrong. Neglecting my duties as Head of Institute, for example, by staying with my sick boyfriend. Jace and I devised a plan to keep Owlflight busy until I'm back at the Institute. The young man apparently does not like the orders I gave him. Or rather, the orders I wrote and signed and Jace handed him as soon as he arrived at the Institute."

Simon whistled. "Nice. Does that mean Jace has to deal with the tantrum-throwing intern while you take care of Magnus?"

Alec grinned. "Yes. Although I don't think he considers it a hardship. Last night he was gleefully planning how to completely exhaust the man before handing him over to Izzy. I doubt that Renato Owlflight will enjoy his stay in New York all that much. He will learn, however. I've made sure of that."

Maia grinned. "And I'm sure he will hate that. If he's really here to prove incompetence or negligence on your part, than it will gall him if you pass every test with flying colors. Anything we can do to help?"

"Not that I can think of right now, but thank you for the offer. I might take you up on it later." Maybe Jace would have an idea.

"Great. Do you have my phone number?"

"I don't think so, no." Alec took out his phone and exchanged numbers with Maia. Now he'd be able to call her directly if he actually saw an opportunity for her to help them deal with Owlflight.

Clary had followed their exchange with a frown. "Why are you making such a fuss about the guy anyway? He's just an intern. He has to do what you say. The Clave should know by now that you are a competent Head of Institute. Would they really listen to an intern over you?"

Alec shook his head at that much naiveté. "The Clave doesn't approve of my relationship with Magnus. Right now, I've 'deserted' my post at the Institute to take care of my sick boyfriend. I'm sure they don't like that, but they can't do anything about it, because everything gets done in time and I hand in all the requested documents on time, thanks to Iz and Jace. If Renato Owlflight complains to them that I refuse to teach him – and teaching young Shadowhunters is one of the more important duties of every Head of Institute – they can claim that I let my relationship with a Downworlder cloud my judgment and are no longer fit to lead an Institute. I will be demoted, and Aldertree will have won. That's why it is in my best interest to make sure Renato Owlflight learns everything there is to learn about leading an Institute. Just not necessarily from me personally."

Magnus clasped Alec's forearm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm mostly recovered by now, Alexander. If it would make things easier, you could move back to the Institute tomorrow."

Alec's eyebrows went up. "Are you trying to get rid of me, Magnus?"

"What? No! I just don't want you to lose your position because of me!"

"Thank you, but you don't have to worry about that. Jace and I have plans for Owlflight for the next few days. Plans that allow me to stay here for as long as you need me. I'm not leaving until you are returned to full health and have the use of your magic back." Alec put his hand on top of his boyfriend's and rubbed his thumb over the soft skin.

Magnus smiled at him. "If you're really sure…"

"I am."

"Oh, get a room you two!" Maia exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Alec and Magnus both blushed.

"We have a room. We have several rooms even. However, it would be impolite to leave our guests on their own in the kitchen while we retire to the bedroom," Magnus informed the young werewolf.

"'Retire to the bedroom'? 'Cause that isn't posh at all," Simon said with a grin that matched his girlfriend's.

Alec's face turned a darker shade of red. "Stop it. We're not doing that while we still have guests, Magnus," he muttered.

Simon and Maia, both having enhanced hearing through their Downworlder status, had obviously still heard him because both chuckled. "Do you want us to leave?" Maia asked.

"No!" Alec insisted. This was embarrassing. How did he always end up in this kind of situation?

"Will you pour me another cup of tea?" Magnus changed the subject.

Alec immediately obliged his boyfriend. Then he looked at Clary again. "Was there any response from the Clave regarding Whiteheart's replacement?" It was a bit soon for a decision, but one never knew. He obviously couldn't count on Clary relaying important information without prompting.

Clary shook her head. "Not really. They just confirmed that they received the documents you had Jace send to them."

Alec sighed.

"You need a replacement for one of your Shadowhunters?" Simon asked.

"Yes," Alec confirmed. "Clary probably told you about the attack on the Institute?"

Simon nodded.

"Several Shadowhunters were injured, one of them badly. He's been transferred to Idris by now and is being treated at the hospital there. The Clave has informed me yesterday that he won't be able to return to work for quite some time. Instead of just sending us a replacement for our only expert on demonology and demon languages, they made me justify our need for a replacement. Which leaves us in our current situation: waiting for the Clave's decision and hoping there won't be any larger missions involving demons in the meantime."

Simon frowned. "Isn't it in the Clave's interest to have a well-staffed Institute in New York? Why would they hesitate to send you someone to replace that guy, temporarily or permanently? And why on earth would an Institute in a big city like New York have only one expert on such an important subject?"

Alec sighed. "The Institute actually had three Shadowhunters specialized on demonology and demon languages. They focused on different languages or demon types, but they were all excellent. Unfortunately, Yuki Silverlake and Charles Stormnight were killed the day Valentine attacked the Institute. We could have used at least one replacement back then, but apparently either Aldertree didn't request one or the Clave ignored his request." He shrugged.

"And it wasn't that much of an issue back then, I guess. We had more pressing problems, and Michael Whiteheart, our most experienced and knowledgeable demonologist, was still alive and well. Until that attack on the Institute almost three weeks ago."

Dragging a hand through his hair, Alec continued. "I don't know why they're making such a fuss. Maybe there really aren't enough demonologists. Or maybe it's not just Aldertree who wants me replaced as Head of Institute and they hope I'll make a mistake if they deny me the resources I need to do my job."

"A mistake? What kind of mistake?" Maia wanted to know.

"Consulting Magnus every time we have a demon-related case, for example. Jace pointed out that in that case the Clave would probably claim I'm diverting Clave-funds to my boyfriend or something similar. Or sending a team on a mission without the necessary information, because I have no way to get the information without involving outside sources."

"But, Alec… they have to know that you need someone who specializes in demons. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you consulting Magnus if it saves the lives of Shadowhunters," Clary threw in.

Alec rolled his eyes. "The Clave hasn't always acted in the best interest of Shadowhunters," he stated, thinking of the time when Inquisitor Herondale had threatened to de-rune Izzy. "I'd rather be safe than sorry concerning that subject."

Clary didn't look convinced.

"I agree with Jace on the probable outcome of you enlisting my services on every demon-related case," Magnus decided. "But feel free to ask me for help if you hit a dead end on something demon-related. I won't even charge you for it as long as it doesn't turn into a regular occurrence."

Alec gave his boyfriend a grateful smile. "Thank you, Magnus. I appreciate that offer. I'd still prefer to get a replacement for Whiteheart though."

There were no protests against that statement.

"On to a more pleasant subject," Simon announced, smiling. "I have a gig at the Hunter's Moon next month. It would be great to see you there."

"Sounds great," Clary told him. "I'd love to come."

Magnus looked at Alec, a question in his eyes.

Alec smiled at his boyfriend. "If Institute affairs don't get in the way, we'll be there."

Clary looked at him in surprise. "You'll go to Simon's gig?"

Alec looked at her calmly. "Yes. He plays good music. Magnus really enjoyed his performance this afternoon, and I liked what I heard during my training."

"Thank you. I hope everything will be peaceful and quiet so you can take that evening off," Simon stated.

"So do I," Magnus informed him. "I'd really love to see you perform on a stage in front of a crowd!"

Alec put his arm around his boyfriend. "Me too."

*

It was half past ten when their guests finally left. They'd spent the time chatting animatedly and hadn't realized how much time had passed until one after the other had started to yawn. Alec had paid Clary for the takeout – he had ordered it after all – and given her a list of things he wanted Izzy to bring them in the morning.

Simon and Maia had hugged everyone goodbye, which had felt rather awkward to Alec.

And now, he and Magnus were finally alone again. Alec prepared another inhalation treatment for his boyfriend and used the time Magnus spent bent over a bowl of hot chamomile-scented water with a towel over his head to air the bedroom and the bathroom as well as make the bed and put several towels onto the towel heater.

Next, he helped Magnus back to the bedroom, where he undressed his boyfriend – who didn't insist that he could do that himself – and escorted him to the bathroom. Their bathroom routine was so well-practiced by now that it didn't take long until they were both dressed in pajamas and back in the bedroom.

They performed the evening examinations and Alec smiled at Magnus. "Your blood sugar is at 96 mg/dL. That's great. Izzy texted me earlier today to tell me that you don't need the IV anymore and that we only need to hang a bag of glucose if your blood sugar is under 70 in the evening."

Magnus returned the smile. That was good news and another step towards full recovery!

Alec handed Magnus the antimycotic, followed by a glass of water to wash the pills down. The hot water bottle went underneath Magnus' feet again, and Hoot Chi Minh was placed in his lap, before Alec tucked the covers around his boyfriend.

"Do you need anything else, Magnus?"

Magnus, his eyes already closed, smiled. "No, thank you, Alexander."

Alec switched on the night light of the Magnus Monitor, walked over to his side of the bed and crawled under the covers. Then he turned off the lights and rolled over so he could put his arm around his boyfriend and pull him closer to his side. "Good night, Magnus."

"Good night, Alexander."


	31. Chapter 31

_Day 12_

Alec was woken by a knock on the bedroom door. He blinked groggily and used his hand to shield his eyes against the sunlight. The weight on his chest registered somewhere in the back of his mind.

"Good morning y—" Izzy, who'd stepped into the room with a big smile on her face, stopped herself mid-word. Her eyebrows went up. "Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you'd be awake."

Alec yawned. "'s alright, Iz." He felt a hum against his chest. Looking down, he saw a mop of dark hair on his torso and not much else. "Magnus?"

Another hum. His boyfriend needed a few more moments until he was awake enough to register his position – snuggled into Alec instead of into his pillow – and their visitor. "Good morning," Magnus mumbled into his boyfriend's pajama top.

Alec rubbed his hand across his boyfriend's back. "Good morning, Magnus. I trust you slept well?" His smile was clearly audible in his words.

"Mmmmmh, yes. Comfy pillow." Magnus gave no sign of wanting to get up.

Alec chuckled. "Magnus, love, we overslept. We need to get up."

Izzy grinned at both of them. "Well, I guess I don't need to ask how Magnus is feeling. It's rather obvious he's a lot better and the cough isn't as much of a problem anymore."

Alec couldn't deny that observation, and he didn't want to anyway. On the contrary, he was very glad that Magnus was on his way to full recovery now. He'd half-feared another relapse to occur.

*

Magnus was feeling very comfortable indeed. His head was cushioned on his boyfriend's muscular chest, and he had one arm and one leg thrown across Alexander's body. He felt warm and safe and happy right where he was.

It took him several moments to realize that it was actually morning. Which meant that he hadn't woken up a single time this night. Not to cough, not to sneeze, not because he needed to use the bathroom. Magnus couldn't even remember the last time he'd slept through the night.

His throat still felt somewhat sore, and his bladder was insisting it needed to be emptied _now_ , but otherwise he felt pretty good.

Magnus pushed himself up a little to look Alexander in the face. "Help me to the bathroom?"

His boyfriend didn't hesitate at all and instead stood up and helped him climb out of bed, walk into the bathroom and take care of his errand of nature. They also collected the morning samples, and Alexander labeled them as Magnus washed his hands.

*

Izzy used the time the two men spent in the bathroom to air the bedroom and make the bed. That Magnus had slept so deeply and gravitated closer to Alec during the night without the cough getting worse again was definitely a good sign. The worst part of the disease should truly be over now.

Still, she wanted to monitor Magnus' condition for as long as he was still showing any kind of symptoms to make sure she collected as much data as possible on Warlock Cold. With a bit of luck, her research – well her and Catarina's – could help save countless warlocks' lives in the future.

When Alec and Magnus walked back into the bedroom, Izzy smiled at her brother. "Why don't you take Magnus' temperature while I wait in the hallway and leave the rest of the examination to me while you make breakfast?"

Alec and Magnus shared a look between them before her brother agreed. Izzy immediately stepped out of the room.

*

Alec smiled at Magnus. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Magnus sighed but climbed back onto the bed, pushed his pajama pants down and rolled onto his side. "I'm definitely looking forward to the end of all those examinations and samples…"

Alec chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine that. I'm so glad to see you getting better."

Silence stretched between them while Alec took his boyfriend's temperature. When he'd removed the thermometer and Magnus was pulling up the pants again, Alec smiled. "100.4 degrees. That is almost normal body temperature I think."

Magnus smiled back at his boyfriend. "Good. Are you going to make breakfast now?"

"Yes, why? Do you want something other than saltines and tea?"

Magnus nodded. "Tea is fine, but I'd like something more substantial than a few saltines. Buttered toast maybe?"

"Your wish is my command, Magnus." Alec stood up and walked out into the hallway where Izzy was waiting.

"Magnus is ready for you. Do you want to eat breakfast with us after the examination?"

"Sure, Alec." She moved into the bedroom as Alec continued on his way to the kitchen.

*

Magnus had been glad to hear that his fever was all but gone now. Now he hoped that Isabelle would have more good news for him. He smiled at her as she walked back into the room. "I'm sorry we overslept, Isabelle. We should have been ready for your visit when you arrived."

Isabelle smiled at him. "It's fine, Magnus. I'm glad you actually got a good night's sleep. I assume Alec wrote down your temperature just now as well as last night's results?"

"Of course." Magnus pointed to his boyfriend's notebook on the nightstand. "He said my temperature is 100.4 degrees and thus almost normal again."

"He's right," Isabelle confirmed right away. "Give me a moment to copy that into my notebook and then we'll begin the examination."

Magnus nodded and watched as the young Shadowhunter meticulously wrote down the numbers. He stayed silent so as not to distract her. It was in the warlock community's best interest if she completed and published her research on Warlock Cold after all.

*

Izzy was impressed by the numbers her brother had written down. It was very obvious to her that Magnus was on his way to recovery. It shouldn't be long now until he was completely free of symptoms.

She drew fresh blood samples first and put the labeled syringes into the sample box. Then she checked Magnus' blood sugar, heart rate and blood pressure which were all approaching 'normal' values. "Those results look really good," she told her patient after she'd written down all the numbers. "It's not just your temperature that's almost back to normal."

Magnus smiled at her. "I hope that means I'm rid of this disease soon."

"That's my impression, at least." Izzy confirmed. "Now, open your mouth please so I can take another look at your throat." When Magnus obeyed, she shone a flashlight into his mouth and inspected the back of the throat. It looked somewhat less red in her opinion, but she wasn't absolutely certain. "You can close your mouth again," she told Magnus. "How does your throat feel? Still as sore as yesterday? Better? Worse?"

Magnus seemed to think about her question for a moment before he replied. "Marginally less sore, maybe. Although that might just be because I don't talk in my sleep."

"Maybe. I'm going to examine your neck externally now." Izzy rubbed her hands together. Now that Magnus' fever wasn't quite so high anymore she thought she stood a chance of warming her hands to the point where her touch didn't feel uncomfortably cold for him. She gently examined her patient's neck and felt for the lymph nodes.

Magnus stayed still and silent, waiting for her verdict.

"Well, your lymph nodes are still swollen. That is not surprising, given that your body isn't done fighting the infection." She picked up her notebook and wrote down her findings. Next, she retrieved her stethoscope. "I'd like to listen to your lungs as well, to see if I can hear a change to last time now that you aren't coughing so much."

Magnus sighed but unbuttoned his pajama top and slid it off his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Magnus. I know this isn't exactly fun, but it's necessary. Just take deep breaths while I listen."

*

Magnus did as Isabelle had asked, but dreaded the outcome. The last time they'd done this, the deep breaths had made his cough even worse, and he really wasn't looking forward to repeating the experience.

As soon as the cool head of the stethoscope made contact with his chest, he began to take deep, even breaths. To his immense surprise, he felt perfectly fine for the first few breaths. Then he needed to cough, but it was nowhere near as bad as last time had been.

They were able to finish the examination quickly, and Magnus put on the discarded pajama top again as Isabelle put away the stethoscope. "So?" he asked her.

"There's definite improvement in this area as well. Your lungs don't sound completely dry yet, but a lot less wet than last time." She added it to this morning's notebook entry. "How's your stomach, Magnus? Did you have any problems yesterday? What did you manage to eat and drink?"

Magnus shook his head. "No problems. Unless you count feeling hungry among the problems. I'm still drinking tea – some of the special blend Luke brought me, some Ginger Lemon tea Simon and Maia brought by, and whatever else Alexander hands me – but Alexander has started serving me more varied food. Last night I had chicken soup. This morning I asked for buttered toast."

Isabelle smiled at him. "That's great. You should probably still be somewhat careful with what you eat – no steak today for you – but you can totally move on to regular food. If Alec still has some of mom's stew left, you could try that as well."

"What about the IV?" Magnus asked her.

Isabelle hesitated for a moment. "I think we can remove that now. You most definitely don't need IV nutrition anymore, and your blood sugar was more or less normal last night, so you won't need glucose in the evenings either. Do you want me to take out the catheter right now?"

*

Alec had decided to treat Izzy to his pancakes this morning. He mixed the batter, made toast and fresh Energize Me tea for Magnus and set the table with plates, cutlery and cups for three. Maple syrup, butter, honey, cream and sugar completed the setup.

The slices of toast he put into a bread basket and placed it next to the plate reserved for his boyfriend. Then he began to actually make the pancakes. Alec was concentrating on not burning breakfast and almost didn't hear Izzy and Magnus arrive in the kitchen.

When he turned around, he saw his sister lead his boyfriend to his place. Magnus walked even more steadily than the day before, he noted. Something else caught his eye, though. "What happened to your IV?" Where the bandage holding the needle in place had been, only a small band aid remained.

Magnus smiled at him. "Isabelle removed it. She says I don't need it anymore, and the band aid comes off in a few hours as well."

"Congratulations! That's great." Alec returned his boyfriend's smile. "So we can get that hand wet again as well, right?" The last was directed at Izzy.

She chuckled. "Yeah, you can get the hand as wet as you'd like now. Just leave the band aid on for a few hours. Those butterfly catheters have a pretty large diameter, and Magnus' hand may bleed slightly for a bit." She inhaled deeply and looked at the stove. "Pancakes! Yummy!"

Alec smiled and turned back to making breakfast. Now was not the time to ruin the pancakes by not paying attention. "Yes, pancakes. Would you like a cup of coffee? Magnus' tea is in that thermos," he pointed.

"Coffee would be great!"

*

Magnus felt his mouth water at the delicious scents in the kitchen. Suddenly he wanted pancakes as well, not just buttered toast. He wasn't sure if it would be a good idea, though. Would his stomach really be ready to deal with pancakes?

Isabelle had meanwhile retrieved the thermos and was pouring him half a cup of tea.

Magnus was grateful for that. He still wasn't sure he could handle a full cup on his own and didn't want to try while someone other than Alexander was in the room. Public humiliation was not something he was into…

Once Isabelle had sat down next to him, Magnus looked from the growing stack of pancakes Alexander was producing to the toast and then at Isabelle. He hesitated a moment, but when he saw her give him a curious look he decided to just ask. "Do you think I can have a pancake as well?"

Isabelle gave him a thoughtful look. "Why don't you try a slice of buttered toast first. Maybe drizzle some honey on the second half of that slice. If your stomach feels fine after that, you can have a few bites of pancake."

Magnus gave her a beaming smile. Now his stomach just needed to cooperate.

*

Alec shut off the stove once all the batter had been turned into fluffy, delicious-smelling pancakes. He put the plate on the table and quickly made two cups of coffee – one for Izzy and one for himself.

When he returned to the table, Magnus was already buttering a piece of toast and Isabelle was eying the stack of pancakes hungrily.

"Just dig in, Iz," Alec told her with a chuckle. "I made enough for both of us."

"And me, I hope," Magnus told him.

Alec, who'd just placed the two cups on the table, gave his boyfriend a confused look. "You?"

Magnus smiled from ear to ear. "Isabelle says if I manage to eat buttered toast with honey, I also get a pancake."

"In that case I'm sure that there are enough pancakes for all three of us." Alec decided not to question his sister's judgment. He wanted Magnus to feel comfortable trying regular food again, not discourage him.

"She also said that I could try your mother's stew later if you still have some left," Magnus added, still smiling widely.

Now that surprised his boyfriend. Stew wasn't among the things he'd have thought she'd recommend for Magnus right now. Izzy was the one with the medical background, though. She'd probably spoken to Catarina about it as well.

"I still have stew in the freezer, yes," he told Magnus. When that announcement brightened up his boyfriend's expression, he added. "So I guess I should take some of it out to let it thaw for lunch."

Magnus nodded enthusiastically.

"You might want to wait until you know whether Magnus can stomach the toast and the pancake, big brother. Just to be on the safe side," Izzy cautioned.

All three of them ate with great appetite, Alec casting sideways glances at his boyfriend every few moments. Magnus seemed to enjoy his toast and even added a generous helping of honey to the second half.

"Your pancakes are delicious as always, big brother," Izzy assured him between two bites.

Alec smiled at her. "I'm glad you still like them." He watched Magnus devour the last piece of toast and lick the honey off his lips. "How does your stomach feel about the toast, Magnus?"

Magnus didn't answer immediately but seemed to be listening inside of himself for a few moments. "No complaints," he then decided with a wide smile and reached out for a pancake.

*

Magnus eyed the pancake on his plate hungrily. Alexander had made pancakes for him before, and they had been delicious. He hesitated for a moment – how much could he ask of his newly-recovered stomach? – and then ladled a bit of honey onto one edge of the pancake.

"Are you getting adventurous now," Isabelle asked him with raised eyebrows.

Alexander was watching him but didn't comment.

"My stomach tolerated honey on the toast," Magnus told the young woman with a shrug. "Why should it be bothered by honey on the pancake?" He lifted a small piece of the food to his mouth. It tasted like paradise! Magnus made sure to chew the bite thoroughly before he swallowed and followed it up with a sip of tea.

"And?" Alexander asked from beside him. His own plate sat untouched in front of him.

"So good!" Magnus exclaimed as soon as his mouth was empty. "I missed this." He reached for another piece of pancake.

Alexander and Isabelle continued eating as well, although Alexander kept glancing his way.

It didn't take Magnus long to finish the pancake and scrape the leftover warm honey off the plate. "That was delicious," he stated, while he contemplated how risky it would be to eat another pancake. He felt fine, his stomach wasn't complaining. Would it stay that way, though? Magnus didn't want to overdo it now that he could eat normal food once more.

"Thank you." Alexander smiled at him. "How are you feeling?"

Magnus returned the smile. "Good. Still slightly hungry though." He turned to Isabelle. "Do you think my stomach can handle a second pancake?"

Isabelle frowned. "I have no idea, Magnus. However, if you're still hungry, and you want another pancake, I'd say go for it. Just remember that you can stop eating at any moment if you feel full or your stomach starts aching or complaining or grumbling or whatever."

Magnus nodded and drenched a second pancake in honey before he started eating. He took it slow, waiting after every swallow to gauge the reaction of his body. Since he had the impression that the tea helped keep his stomach calm, he drained two more cups in slow sips between bites.

By the time he was licking the last of the honey from his fork, Alexander and Isabelle had finished the rest of the pancakes and were now each nursing their second cup of coffee.

"It's nice to be included in the 'normal' breakfast again," Magnus observed, "instead of being served tea and extra-bland food in bed."

"Are you saying you never want breakfast in bed again?" Alexander asked with a grin and one raised eyebrow.

Magnus immediately shook his head. "Not if I have to eat it alone. If you ever feel like serving breakfast to both of us in our bed, however, I will not stop you."

"Duly noted. Let's clean up the kitchen, shall we?"


	32. Chapter 32

They'd done the dishes together, with Magnus managing to dry the glasses, cups and cutlery, and had put away the groceries and supplies Izzy had brought, before Alec's sister had taken her leave and returned to the Institute. Since Magnus didn't feel like sitting in bed all day again, Alec had helped him dress in warm socks, track pants and a shirt and they had moved to the living room.

Alec and Magnus were sitting on the sofa together, with Magnus leaning against his boyfriend and a thick blanket covering both of them, when Magnus' phone rang.

It took Magnus a moment to fumble his phone from his pants pocket, accept the call and raise the device to his ear. "Yes?"

Alec watched as his boyfriend's expression changed from curious to surprised to guilty to angry while he listened to whoever he was talking to right now.

"No… I didn't… I'm sick…"

Apparently, someone was not happy with his boyfriend, Alec mused. He couldn't hear what the other person was saying, unfortunately, but Magnus' voice and face spoke volumes.

"I didn't forget… I. Have. Warlock. COLD!"

The clearly enunciated words in the last sentence told Alec that his boyfriend was slowly but steadily losing his patience with the person on the other end. What was this phone call about?

"You…" Magnus took a deep breath. "Let me get a word in as well, dammit!" He coughed. "You will get it as soon as I'm well enough to brew again. I will call you."

The reply, still not audible to Alec, was short but, judging by Magnus' face, positive.

"Yes. Have a nice day as well. Bye." Magnus hung up and coughed again.

Alec waited for his boyfriend to calm down before he spoke. "What was that about?"

Magnus snuggled more deeply into his embrace and half-turned his head to look up at him. "A client." He sighed. "One of the clients who should have gotten services or products from me in the time I've been sick. I'd completely forgotten about those."

"Oh Magnus, I'm so sorry. I didn't even think of that." Alec felt guilt rise in his chest. He'd made sure that his own duties were taken care of, but hadn't spared a single thought for his boyfriend's business. Of course there were clients waiting for deliveries!

"I didn't think of it either, Alexander. So it's not your fault," Magnus tried to reassure his boyfriend.

"But you were sick, so you have a really good excuse. I was just selfish. I made plans with Jace and Izzy so my work would get done in my absence and I never once considered that you aren't some layabout but a highly qualified and sought-after professional."

Magnus squeezed the hand his boyfriend had on his stomach. "Stop beating yourself up about it. There's nothing selfish in what you've done. You've _saved my life_!"

Alec leaned down to kiss his temple. "What can I do now to help you minimize the damage to your business connections?"

"Did you collect my mail?"

Alec looked down. "No. Didn't even think of it. Your mailbox must be overflowing…"

"No. It physically can't. I enlarged it magically, so nobody could judge the duration of my absence by the state of my mailbox. You should probably take a bag or basket with you to empty it. It's more than likely that you won't be able to carry the contents of my mailbox in your hands. Do you know where I hide the key?"

"No," Alec shook his head. He listened to his boyfriend's explanation. "Alright. I'd best retrieve the mail right away." With a twinge of regret – he'd been enjoying cuddling with Magnus on the sofa – he pushed his boyfriend up a little until he could slide out from behind him. Then he tucked the blanket around Magnus, fetched a large bag and the key and left the apartment.

*

Alec opened the bag and placed it right under the rim of the mailbox before he used the key to open it. Magnus had been right to tell him to use a bag or basket. Even knowing how many contacts Magnus had, Alec was surprised by the sheer mountain of mail collected inside the mailbox.

It would be up to Magnus to sort through all that. Alec simply reached into the opening and dragged everything out and into his bag.

He really should have thought of Magnus' business before today. What was wrong with him? He knew about his boyfriend's work, hell, he'd first _met_ Magnus as the High Warlock of Brooklyn they needed to ask for help. How could it have slipped his mind, then, that Magnus being sick for two weeks might mean he needed to contact some of his boyfriend's clients? Most probably they weren't all warlocks, and even if they were there was no guarantee they'd walk by and see the chalk sign.

*

Magnus fidgeted. It wasn't his style to just sit there and wait for others to act for him. He wanted to go get the book he kept a list of all his current and finished jobs and orders in, he wanted to fetch pen and paper to take notes, he wanted to _do something_. Still, he stayed on the sofa, under the blanket and waited for Alexander.

The last thing they needed was for him to collapse somewhere in the apartment because he overestimated the strength he'd regained or stumbled over something or whatever. Soon – if Isabelle was right – he'd be back to full strength and could take care of matters himself once more. Until then, he'd restrain himself and let Alexander do the running and the heavy lifting…

*

Alec re-entered the apartment with the bag of mail over his shoulder. He half-expected Magnus to meet him in the hallway, eager to get a look at what had arrived while he was sick. To his surprise, his boyfriend was right where he'd left him.

Setting the bag down by Magnus' feet, Alec dragged the table over, so they could use it comfortably while sitting on the sofa. "What else do we need?"

"Several sheets of paper to take notes on, a pen to take said notes with and the book that holds all the orders and jobs I already took on and am now late on." Magnus explained to Alec how to open the hidden compartment in one of his bookshelves and then watched as his boyfriend went to retrieve the requested items.

*

They were sitting on the sofa next to each other, and Alexander was holding the notepad and pen. When Magnus reached out for both items, his boyfriend shook his head.

"No, Magnus. I'm your secretary today. You go through that book and your mail and tell me what to write down. That will work a lot faster than me trying to make sense of your jobs and orders, I think."

Magnus looked at him in mock-outrage. "Are you saying my handwriting is illegible?"

Alexander chuckled. "No, of course not. I'm saying that I don't know all that much about potion brewing and warlock magic and will most probably understand half of the messages – at best."

"Okay." Mollified, Magnus picked up his book first and went to the first unfinished entry in there. "Alright, these first three jobs I can't do right now. I work with a small cosmetics firm that sells to both Downworlders and mundanes. They need some pretty rare ingredients for some of their products. I portal to the regions where those ingredients originate from and buy them cheap. Saves the firm a fortune. I'm far from being able to portal right now, though. Still, they really need those ingredients, and I'm already two days overdue. Damn…"

"What about," Alexander began hesitantly, then seemed to firm his resolve. "What about Catarina? Can you ask her to help out this once? She wouldn't even have to have direct contact with you. You could send her the list of required items as a text message, and Jace or Izzy could bring everything over here. Or maybe they could even deliver it for you if we ask them nicely."

Magnus thought about that for a moment. He didn't want to lose this customer, and there was a certain risk they'd go looking for another supplier if he couldn't deliver soon. If he offered Catarina some compensation for her effort… "Alright. Please start a list for messages I need to send. The first one is to Catarina to ask her what it would cost me for her to procure those ingredients."

Alexander immediately started to write. "Okay. You'll fill in the specifics of the job when you write the message?"

"Yes. The list will grow too long otherwise." Magnus turned the page to the next unfinished job/order. This one made him groan.

Alexander looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Magnus sighed. "It's the client who called me earlier. He ordered a potion from me, and he's getting impatient."

"O-kay? What kind of potion? How urgent is it?"

"Well…" Magnus felt slightly uncomfortable. "That depends on the perspective. He apparently considers it to be of utmost urgency. I don't. Especially not considering the circumstances of the delay."

"Does that mean you don't want to tell me what potion the client wants?"

Magnus sighed again. "No, it's just… my client is impotent."

Alexander blinked, then blushed. "Oh!"

"It's his own fault!" Magnus added.

*

"His own fault?" Alec frowned. How exactly did one turn oneself impotent??

"Yes." Magnus hesitated a moment before he elaborated. "He cheated on his wife. His wife found out and came to me for a little revenge. At first she was all for castrating him, but I managed to change her mind. Castration is so bloody and so… permanent."

They both shuddered and Alec involuntarily pressed his thighs together.

"But she insisted he be punished for his infidelity, and she had money, so I brewed her a nice little potion that renders the drinker impotent. It's odorless and tasteless and thus easy to administer."

"And now her husband asked…" Alec trailed off, voice full of disbelief.

"And now her husband, who has absolutely no idea what the cause for his little problem is, enlisted my services in getting his virility back. He's paying me well for that. Apparently, he really, _really_ wants full function back, soon. By now, he's getting really impatient."

It took Alec a while to digest that information, but then he chuckled. The situation definitely was kind of funny. "And will it be a problem if he has to wait a bit longer?"

Magnus shrugged. "He is angry and impatient and I don't want him spouting lies about my reliability. I don't think he could actually hurt my reputation very much, but I'd rather not risk it if I don't have to."

"How complicated is brewing that potion? Does it require a lot of magic?"

"It doesn't require any magic at all, and the brewing process isn't too complicated. Still, I'm not sure I have the energy and concentration to complete the potion right now, and I can't really afford to waste the more pricey ingredients."

Alec thought about it for a moment. Here might be a chance for him to atone for his oversight. "Could I brew the potion with your instruction? Or at least help you with it? Then we might be able to do it today, right?"

A smile lit up Magnus' face. "That would be great! Would you really do that?"

"Of course!" There was no question in Alec's mind about that. He was going to do everything he could to help his boyfriend.

"Alright. Then start a second list of jobs and orders that I can complete right now. Put 'Jeffrey Weaver' down, and add 'Virility Potion'. We'll prioritize once we have a list of everything I actually can do right now."

Alec did as Magnus told him. He was kind of curious how long that list would get. If all those letters were job offers and orders, then he might not have enough paper for all the lists they needed…

*

They soon had a pile of empty envelopes to throw away. Some customers had sent several missives when they didn't get an answer immediately. In those cases they only kept the most recent one, noted how many others had been sent and then threw those others away.

Alec soon realized that the temporary job as Magnus' secretary wasn't nearly as boring as he'd feared. Some of the jobs were surprising – like the sheer number of warlocks that asked Magnus for better wards on their place and were willing to pay handsomely as well – and others were funny – the huge order of special burn salve from the vampires at the Hotel Du Mort, for example, or the special inhalant and ointment for the female werewolf with severe allergies to all kinds of animal hair.

Alec had, of course, known that Magnus' wards were exceptionally strong. The different Heads of Institute in New York had good reasons to always negotiate with Magnus Bane for ward work. He just hadn't known that there were so many warlocks who preferred his boyfriend's wards to their own.

Despite a regular supply of tea, Magnus' voice had lost quite a bit of its power and acquired a rather hoarse quality by the time they were through all the mail. His stomach grumbled, loudly.

When Alec heard that, he registered that his own body could use some sustenance as well. "How about I heat up the stew right now? I'll leave the lists with you, and you can start prioritizing. Then we eat, and afterwards we start with the most important tasks."

"Sounds good. Could you bring me some more tea, though?"

Alec disentangled himself from the blanket and stood up, handing the lists and the pen to his boyfriend. "Sure. Any preferences concerning the flavor?"

Magnus shook his head and immediately immersed himself in the lists.

Alec left for the kitchen.

*

Magnus sighed. There was just so much to do! He'd always been busy – or at least in the last few centuries. He'd made a name for himself, and he couldn't afford damaging his reputation. It was true, he wasn't poor. Far from it, actually. He was leading a rather extravagant lifestyle, however, and needed his income. To generate an income, he needed a good reputation.

He was so focused on figuring out the best order to do things in that he didn't even notice Alexander coming back and placing a steaming cup of tea on the table. He registered the cup when he reached for another list and his fingers lightly brushed the hot cup.

From there on, he alternated sips of Energize Me-tea with additions and corrections to the lists. When he thought he had found the best order possible for all he needed to do, he looked up. Alexander wasn't back yet, and also hadn't called him to the kitchen. That meant he probably had a bit more time.

Magnus typed his request and offer of payment to Catarina and hit 'send'. Then he fetched his preferred stationery and fountain pen and began to write the letters he needed to send to those clients who'd have to wait until he had his magic back. His clients wouldn't be happy, but telling them was better than not doing anything at all. There was a certain risk he might lose some or all of those clients, but there was nothing he could do about that. Under no circumstances would he use his magic again until he was fully recovered.

By the time Alexander called his name from the kitchen and announced that the stew was hot, Magnus was done with just about half of the letters. _Not bad for half a day_ , he thought.

*

"This is delicious!" Magnus announced after his first mouthful of stew.

Alec chuckled. "I know. I have no idea how Mom does it, but her stew is legendary. As surprised as I was when she showed up here, I'm very grateful she made this for us."

"Me too," mumbled his boyfriend around the piece of meat he was chewing. "I think I want the recipe," he added once his mouth was empty again."

"I'll tell her, but I should warn you: Nobody of her friends who've tried making this stew using Mom's recipe, were satisfied with the results. They all claim that my Mom's stew is somehow different – and better – than what they managed despite following her recipe to the letter."

Magnus smiled. "A challenge! I like challenges."

*

They returned to the living room, and Alec sent a quick text off to Jace, asking how Owlflight's training was going. His _parabatai_ replied with a 'thumbs up'-smiley, which probably meant he was too busy chasing the young intern around the training room to write lengthy messages.

Magnus handed his boyfriend a stack of letters on expensive-looking stationery. "I finished these messages, but they need to be sent off."

"I'm assuming you usually send your letters magically?" Alec asked as he took the sheets of paper.

"Yeah. Well, except for those to my mundane clients who just consider me a herbalist they go to or maybe one of the wiccans who deal in love potions and prosperity charms. They'd be _very_ confused if a letter suddenly materialized in their living room."

Alec chuckled. "I can imagine that. How do you send theirs? And are any of these to mundanes?"

"A few, yes. I put little notes with addresses and modes of transportation onto the letters. Can you maybe address the envelopes for me? Then I can use the time to write the rest of the missives."

Alec nodded. "Sure, no problem. How are we going to send the ones to the magic users? Do you want me to deliver them as fire messages?"

"You'd do that? I had thought about asking Catarina, but she has her own duties and her job at the hospital and I feel bad asking her to do so much for me." Magnus gave his boyfriend a hopeful look.

"Of course. I wouldn't have offered otherwise." A fire message was a fire message after all, no matter whether you used a stele or magic to send it.

Alec leafed through the letters and divided them into two piles: those for mundanes and those for Downworlders. He addressed envelopes for the mundane recipients first. Magnus then pointed him to where he kept his stamps and explained which stamps to use for the letters. Since it was his very first brush with the mundane mail delivery system, Alec followed his boyfriend's instructions precisely. He would hand that pile over to whoever did the evening visit tonight. Clary would know what to do so the messages reached their intended recipients.

Next, Alec took care of the rest of the letters. He sealed those in envelopes as well and then used his stele to send them off. That took a bit longer, since this pile was a _lot_ bigger. Magnus kept adding to it as well as he went through his list.

Once or twice, Alec thought there'd be no end to the messages, but then they were finally, _finally_ done. He looked over at his boyfriend. "What do we do next?"

*

Magnus rolled his shoulders. He couldn't remember the last time he'd written so many messages at once, although he wasn't quite sure whether the reason for the lack of memory was his long life or the fact that he actually _never_ had written that number of letters in one day before. His hand was aching as well.

"Now we start with the orders we can actually complete today." Magnus picked up the corresponding list. The Virility Potion was actually at the top of that list, simply because it was the longest overdue _and_ was something he could manage, with Alexander's help. "I'm afraid you're going to have to do most of the work, though," he told his boyfriend.

Alexander shrugged. "That's no problem. Just tell me what to do, and remember I know next to nothing about potion brewing. Please don't assume I know something just because you consider it basic knowledge."

"Alright, Alexander. I think I can do that. Let's go to the kitchen to prepare our workplace."


	33. Chapter 33

Alec carried one of Magnus' cauldrons into the kitchen and put it on the stove. "Now what?"

Magnus was holding the book with the recipe and looked up at the question. "Now I need you to fetch the ingredients for me."

For the next twenty minutes, Magnus read the ingredients out one at a time and explained to his boyfriend where he'd find each.

And precise descriptions were very necessary, as Alec found out as he entered Magnus' storeroom for the very first time and immediately sneezed. There were so many smells in here. And shelves. Lots of shelves. Filled with bottles and flasks and jars, full and empty alike. Bags and baskets and sacks were stacked on the floor or leaning against the wall and each other. Nothing was labeled. How did Magnus manage to remember where everything was in here?

The directions he'd given his boyfriend were spot-on, though. Everything was exactly where he'd said it would be. Alec just needed to lift the containers from the shelves and measure out the requested amount.

Soon, the kitchen table was covered in bowls, filled with measured ingredients.

Next, Magnus retrieved two cutting boards, two sharp knives, a mortar and pestle and several bowls and put them on the kitchen table as well. "We need to prepare the ingredients as specified by the recipe."

Alec nodded and sat down. "Where do I start?"

Magnus handed him the bowl that contained the ginger root. "Peel the pieces and then chop them as finely as you can. Make sure you don't touch your face while you're doing so. Oh, and the peels go in that bowl over there." He pointed to one slightly larger bowl he'd placed roughly in the middle between the two of them.

Alec grimaced. No, he really didn't want to spread ginger across his face. Particularly not near his eyes. "Okay." He picked up the first root and started to peel it.

They worked in silence for a while, until Alec held out his board or, more precisely, the finely chopped bits of ginger root for his boyfriend's inspection. "Like this?"

Magnus gave his work a scrutinizing look. "Yes, that's very good. Do the rest exactly like that." Then he returned to reducing some strange dried mushrooms – Alec had forgotten their proper name again already – to powder.

Alec put his cutting board down in front of him and took out another piece of ginger root. He could definitely do this!

*

After ginger and mushrooms followed cinnamon, ginseng, pepper, cloves and several other ingredients Alec couldn't remember the name of.

Magnus had him measure out water, pure alcohol and honey as well, before he arranged everything on the work surface next to the stove. Grabbing a wooden spoon and switching on the stove, Magnus looked over his shoulder at Alec. "Now, watch and learn. The spoon is cherrywood, because the cherry tree symbolizes love and passion. The material of the spoon or rod you stir your potion with can be as important as the ingredients themselves or the temperature at which you mix them."

Alec nodded and stood at Magnus' shoulder, close enough to watch everything his boyfriend did, but far enough away to give Magnus space to move. He had thought Magnus would pour the water into the cauldron first, but his boyfriend just held his hand palm-down over the cauldron from time to time. "What are you doing, Magnus?"

"I'm waiting until the cauldron is hot enough to gently roast some of the spices."

"Roast the spices? I thought we were brewing a potion, not cooking dinner!" It would have been too early for that anyway.

Magnus chuckled. "We're brewing, and I'm going to roast some spices. It will intensify both their flavor and their effects and is a very important step for this particular potion."

Alec watched as his boyfriend emptied some of the bowls into the cauldron and immediately started to stir. An enticing scent rose from the cauldron and quickly permeated the entire kitchen. Alec inhaled deeply.

"I didn't realize _you_ 'd like this particular potion, Alexander."

Alec blushed. He had heard the grin in his boyfriend's voice, so, feeling bold, he answered. "I haven't heard any complaints so far from my partner, so I'm good. The spices smell nice, though."

"Yes, this potion is rather pleasant to make. I can guarantee that not all potions are. Some I wouldn't even _attempt_ without a ventilation spell," Magnus informed his boyfriend.

"Good to know." Alec thought to himself that he was rather lucky that Magnus needed his magic for a ventilation spell. Which meant _he_ wouldn't be asked to assist with those definitely-not-pleasant-to-smell potions.

Magnus kept the spoon moving even while he talked and shifted the ground spices around in the cauldron. "Now they're ready," he finally declared and added one cup of pre-measured water. A hissing sound and some steam rising into the air were the immediate results.

"Why now? I didn't notice any difference to before," Alec inquired.

Magnus looked back over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised. "The bouquet of scents was finally right. The spices had reached their maximum power. Roasting them for longer wouldn't have had any further positive effect but I would have risked burning them."

"How do you know when the spices reach their maximum power? I didn't smell a difference."

Magnus frowned. "I did. I guess it's just a matter of experience. The potion would work if I'd added the water a bit earlier or a bit later, but this was the perfect moment. Now the potion needs to boil." He reached down to raise the temperature of the stove.

Alec nodded and filed the information away in his mind. It was rather unlikely he'd ever get the chance to accumulate enough potion-brewing experience to identify the moment spices had the most power, but one never knew. It couldn't hurt to remember everything Magnus told him today.

The smell in the kitchen intensified with time, and Alec took a step back from the stove. He wasn't quite sure how Magnus managed to stoically stir the contents of the cauldron and breathe in the steam. "Is it alright if I open the window, Magnus? Let in some fresh air?"

Magnus shook his head. "This potion does not like sudden changes in temperature. I don't want to risk ruining it with a cool breeze from outside. This really isn't so bad, though." He seemed genuinely surprised by his boyfriend's question.

Alec sighed. "How long will it need to boil?"

Magnus, who was already fumbling with the stove's dial again, shrugged. "No exact duration. The potion only needs to simmer now, until there's about half of the liquid left. That will take some time."

"Do you need to stir the potion the whole time? Or can you leave it for a while?"

Magnus shot him an incredulous look. "Of course I have to stir it! And I also need to watch it, or I might miss the right moment to continue."

Well, that certainly was a difference between brewing and cooking. Alec knew several recipes that demanded the food to simmer for some time, but he usually wasn't expected to stand next to the pot and keep watch. Sure, he'd stir the stew or soup or whatever he was making from time to time, but otherwise he was free to do something else. Potions were apparently more complicated than meals…

*

To Alec, it felt like time passed in slow motion. How long could it take for half of that bit of liquid to evaporate? He took out his phone and sent a quick message to Jace: _How is my intern doing so far?_

He didn't have to wait long for an answer. _Determined to prove himself. Still somewhat sulky. Exhausted, too._

Alec grinned at that description. That didn't sound like his intern was having too much fun today… _But still standing, right? I guess you're happy now we didn't make a bet._

 _It won't be long now. Boy's been looking ready to drop for 30 min,_ Jace informed him.

Well, that sounded like his intern would be too tired tonight to bother anyone. Alec's grin widened when he imagined how sore Renato Owlflight's muscles were going to be the next day.

"Alexander? Do you still want to watch?"

Alec's gaze flew to Magnus' face. "What? Yes, of course!" To think he'd almost missed the next step of brewing – or, more precisely, watching Magnus brew – because he'd been texting… "What are you going to do next, Magnus?"

"I'm going to add a few more ingredients that need to be stirred in separately," his boyfriend replied.

Alec watched as Magnus added the mushrooms and moved the spoon clockwise one-two-three-four times. Now one of the ingredients Alec couldn't remember the name or properties of was poured into the cauldron and mixed with its contents by stirring seven times counterclockwise. Alec hadn't even realized that the direction of the spoon's movement or the number of completed circles might matter as well!

He waited, but Magnus didn't add anything else. Instead he was looking at the potion in concentration. "What happens now?"

Magnus didn't look up. "Now we wait for the potion to come to boil again. The color will change slightly when the time is right to add the next ingredient."

Alec leaned over his boyfriend's shoulder to peer at the liquid. He'd call the current color something between a light and a middle brown and was curious to see what it would change to – and if he'd be able to notice the difference at all or if it would be the same as with the scent.

For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then small bubbles began to rise from the bottom of the cauldron. They soon grew in size until the potion was boiling merrily. After a short while, Alec thought the potion looked a shade or two lighter, and then Magnus tossed in the ginger and immediately began stirring in figure eights. How many ways were there to stir a potion?

Alec hadn't counted, but at some point Magnus apparently decided that he'd stirred enough and removed the spoon. Then he switched off the stove and moved the cauldron to a cold burner.

That confused Alec. There were still quite a few ingredients left on the work surface. "Why did you stop, Magnus? The potion can't be done yet?"

Magnus turned around to his boyfriend and leaned against his chest. "It isn't. However, it needs to cool significantly before the next step. That means we do have a bit of time." He reached up, linked his hands behind Alec's neck and kissed his boyfriend gently.

Alec's surprise at the kiss lasted only a few seconds, and then his hands moved to Magnus' hips of their own accord and he tilted his head forward and to the side a little to deepen the kiss. His boyfriend's fingers gripping his hair and tugging him even closer made him moan.

He started to push Magnus backwards but remembered the stove behind his boyfriend just in time and turned the movement into a tug. It was a testament to how well he knew the apartment by now that Alec managed to blindly walk backwards and actually hit the front edge of a chair with the back of his legs. He had to break the kiss for a moment to sit down.

"What are you do—" Magnus' words ended in a small yelp as Alec tugged his boyfriend onto his lap sideways and immediately picked up where they'd left off. Magnus had no complaints about that.

*

Magnus sighed when Alexander moved one hand to the back of his head and started to play with his hair. This was a very pleasurable way to spend the waiting time! Maybe he should brew with his boyfriend more often! Unfortunately, the potion didn't leave them enough time for what he'd like to do right now. It would be rather unfair to get Alexander all worked up and then leave him to take care of that himself.

So Magnus pulled back from the kiss slowly and snuggled into his boyfriend's shoulder, leaning his face against the Deflection rune on his boyfriend's neck. "I love you, Alexander," he muttered against the warm skin.

"I love you too, Magnus," Alexander replied as he held him tight. "How much time do we have?"

"Not enough," Magnus told him with a sigh. It had been too long already since he'd been able to do all the things with his boyfriend he longed for right now.

*

Alec enjoyed this quiet, intimate moment with his boyfriend. He'd missed this the last two – or almost three – weeks. They had of course been physically close these past eleven days he'd lived with Magnus and taken care of him. There'd always been the worry on his part and the painful symptoms on his boyfriend's, though.

This was the first time in about three weeks that they were holding each other without worries and pain and fever diminishing their joy. Alec intended to make every second of the waiting time count.

He kissed Magnus' head and rubbed his back. "I'm so glad you're finally better. I've never been so afraid in my life as I've been when you were suffering and I didn't know how to help you or if you'd even survive this," he admitted in a whisper.

Magnus clung to him and brushed a kiss onto his neck, right over his rune. "And I wouldn't have made it without you, Alexander. I am very glad you're here."

"I'm very glad I'm here as well."

*

They just enjoyed the closeness and physical contact until Magnus slowly straightened. "Alright, I think it's time for the next step."

It took a short moment to disentangle their bodies again, but then they were standing and Magnus stepped over to the stove and held his hand over the cauldron, palm-down. "Yes, that's good. Now we add most of the other ingredients and bring the potion to boil once more."

Well, if _that_ was the brewing process for one of the less complicated potions Magnus knew, Alec sure as hell didn't want to find out what qualified as complicated… He watched as his boyfriend switched on the stove again, moved the cauldron onto the active burner and began to pour the ingredients into the potion. Alec quickly noticed that Magnus never mixed two ingredients but stirred the potion each time until the recent addition had merged with the liquid. The cauldron was now filled almost to the rim, since Magnus had added a generous amount of water.

Magnus had a look of concentration on his face as he stirred the potion in changing patterns with every new ingredient. The liquid in the cauldron changed its color, turning lighter, then more brown, murkier and more translucent again and finally settled on a burnt orange.

When the first bubbles began to rise, the scent turned even richer and filled the whole kitchen. Alec inhaled deeply and then wondered whether that had been such a good idea considering the purpose of the potion. Could the fumes have an effect as well? If they did, they'd both be affected since Magnus was standing so close to the stove there was no way he wasn't breathing in the steam.

"What are you going to do next?" Alec asked when the potion had been boiling for a while.

"I'm going to wait. Some of the liquid needs to evaporate before I can proceed." Magnus didn't take his eyes off the potion and stirred in a clockwise motion every once in a while.

Alec watched and waited. The alcohol, the honey and a small, purple-iridescent bottle were still standing on the work surface, waiting to be used. It stood to reason that they'd be done soon. He checked his phone. Half past four already. When he was putting the phone back into his pocket, he caught sight of a flash of fire from the corner of one eye and instinctively reached out to pluck the message from the air before it could float down towards the cauldron.

He held it out to Magnus, but his boyfriend shook his head. "Will you read it to me? I can't look away from the potion right now."

Alec began to nod when a thought hit him. "Wait. Why did this message just appear in your kitchen when all those other letters – requests and orders – were in your mailbox?"

"You didn't really think I would let just anyone magically send things into my apartment, Alexander?" Magnus kept his eyes on the potion, but Alec was certain his boyfriend's eyebrows were drawn up right now. "My wards are very specific. Only my closest associates can send fire messages directly to me. All other missives, magical or not, are collected in the mail box. There's a reason other warlocks want _me_ to set up or reinforce their wards, you know?"

"I never doubted your magical power or knowledge, Magnus," Alec tried to placate his boyfriend. "Do you think it's possible to create a similar filter for me? Or rather, the Head of Institute? Some people have rather inconvenient timing when sending missives…"

Magnus chuckled. "I see no reason why it shouldn't work, although I might need to tweak my wards on the Institute a little to arrange for your mail filter. Now, weren't you going to read me that letter?"

"Right, your letter." Alec blushed, somewhat embarrassed he'd gotten side-tracked.

*

_My dearest friend, I am delighted to hear that you've managed to survive your contact with the Devil's Plague and would like to congratulate you on your recovery. The ward work is not urgent. Please just send me a message as soon as you have regained full control of your magic and we'll manage to find a time and date that's convenient for both of us. I'll have a cup of your favorite tea waiting. Until then, let your gorgeous paramour take care of you. Love, Georgie_

Alexander's eyebrows went up as he read the message out loud. "Who is Georgie?" he asked Magnus once he was done.

Magnus was smiling fondly. "Georgie – Georgette Witherby – is a lovely lady and a good old friend of mine." His boyfriend's frown made him chuckle. "Not the way you might think. She's a mundane with the Sight and I've known her for more than 60 years now. By now she's 81, but still living in her own house and as sharp-minded as ever. The Sight means she sees more than mundanes are supposed to see, and I provide her with strong wards to make sure none of the things she sees can get to her."

That seemed to sooth Alexander's beginning jealousy, but the confusion was still present. "If she's a mundane, then how did she send you a fire message just now?"

"She lives with her girlfriend, Shanna Frost, a warlock. They've been a couple for…" he trailed of, thinking. "For about 45 years now. Shanna specializes in mind healing, weather work and glamors. Wards aren't her strong suit. Since they're rather wealthy they prefer to pay for my services instead of hoping that simple wards will keep out all the dangers."

*

That did of course explain the fire message. Alec was far more intrigued, however, that Magnus apparently knew another warlock who was living with a mortal partner. They made it work, it seemed, if they'd really been together for 45 years already. He couldn't even imagine his life in half a century – if he ever reached that age. Shadowhunters had a high risk of dying young after all.

"They sound really nice," he told his boyfriend. "We could invite them over some time once you're fully recovered."

Magnus gave him a surprised look.

Alec sincerely hoped his motive for the suggestion wasn't too obvious. He loved Magnus with all his heart and soul, but the fact that he himself was mortal and would age and die and Magnus would stay this gorgeous youthful man all through that worried him sometimes. How was he supposed to deal with that? Wouldn't his boyfriend at some point tire of him, when his body was marked by age and his mind had slowed? If Shanna and Georgie – he wouldn't call them that to their face without previous invitation, but he saw no reason to be formal in his own mind – had found a solution that worked, he was curious to hear about it.

"As long as you realize that Georgie will expect you to visit their house in return…"

Magnus' words startled Alec and it took a moment for him to work out that it was his boyfriend's reply to his suggestion. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts…

"I don't mind visiting with them, as long as it doesn't collide with my duties. I'm sure we could work something out."

"Then it's settled," Magnus told him with a smile, already focusing on the potion again. "Can you bring me the second cauldron of this size I have? We need to pour the potion through a sieve soon."

"Sure. Be right back."

*

When Alec returned with the requested item, Magnus pointed to the cold burner next to the cauldron. Alec placed the second cauldron there. "Can I help you with anything?"

Magnus shook his head. "Not right now, no."

Alec watched as his boyfriend switched off the stove again, placed a sieve over the second cauldron and poured the potion through it.

"Now the potion needs to cool for a short while before we add the last two ingredients," Magnus informed him as he set down the now-empty cauldron again. "You can help me get a few clean flasks from my stores.

"A few? This looks like we should get more than _a few_ bottles. Will your client need more than one flask of potion to cure his impotence?" Alec frowned. "Wait, the last _two_? There are three ingredients still on the work surface."

"No." Magnus shook his head. "Two ingredients for the Virility Potion. The content of the bottle isn't part of the recipe. It's the counter – or antidote – to the magic I had to pour into the original impotence potion."

"Why does your client need the Virility Potion _and_ the antidote? Shouldn't one of those on its own be enough to reverse the effect?"

"Mr. Weaver doesn't really need the Virility Potion," Magnus stated.

"But…" Now Alec felt even more confused.

It must have shown on his face because Magnus sighed and elaborated. "The antidote is the only thing that will reverse the magic in the impotence potion. It is difficult to make, so I always keep a small supply handy. Mr. Weaver doesn't know that his impotence was caused by magic, so he requested a regular remedy for impotence."

He picked up the small bottle, uncorked it and poured some of the content into a measuring cup no bigger than a thimble. "If you look at this, you'll see that the color is a translucent red. If I give my client this dose and he ever happens to talk to some other client about Virility Potions, he will realize that his was the wrong color and the wrong amount. That's a risk I'm not willing to take."

Alec inspected the fluid and had to agree: it really looked nothing like the potion they were brewing. "So you're going to do what? Mix the two potions? Won't that be dangerous for your client?"

Magnus chuckled wryly. "Yes, I'm going to mix them, and no, it won't. The potion will be slightly darker once I mix the antidote in, but I doubt anyone but another brewer would be able to tell the difference. While the antidote will reverse the effect of the impotence potion, the Virility Potion will increase my client's libido temporarily. He'll be happy with my services, and I can save the rest of the potion for other customers. Only a small flask of the Virility Potion needs to be emptied in one go to achieve a lasting effect, but it is a lot more sensible to make a larger quantity. There is less risk of burning the ingredients or reducing the liquid too much. You wouldn't believe how many men ask for something against impotence. There is no shortage of buyers for those additional flasks."

Alec was quite sure he didn't really _want_ to know how many men were actually impotent. He shuddered slightly. Then he thought of something else. "And you can just keep the flasks in store until they're needed? They won't be less effective after a few months, or turn bad?"

"Of course I can't just leave them out," Magnus told him in a tone that suggested that this was absolutely obvious. "They need to be stored in a cool, dark place and under a stasis spell. Since I can't work magic right now, we will put them into the fridge for a few days. _Then_ they go under a stasis spell."

Okay, that sounded sensible. Although Alec wasn't quite sure what he thought about potions in the fridge, right next to their food. It wasn't a concept that had ever been in his mind. He supposed it was alright as long as the potion flasks were sealed. He'd know what they were and wouldn't accidentally open one and drink the contents.

*

They'd boiled some water, rinsed the flasks on the inside, dried them on the outside and left them upside-down on a towel to dry completely by the time Magnus decided the potion had cooled enough to finish it. He poured in the honey first and stirred in figure-eights until the potion had reached a homogenous consistency again.

Alec was watching and noted with interest that the color of the potion had changed yet again to a brighter orange that slowly acquired a golden sheen as Magnus kept stirring. The alcohol was added next and mixed in well.

"Now it's time to bottle the potion," Magnus stated and retrieved a small funnel and some potholders. "Will you cork the filled ones for me?"

"Of course," Alec immediately agreed.

Magnus put the funnel on the first flask and emptied the small measuring cup with the antidote into it. Then he lifted the cauldron and carefully tipped it to pour some of the potion out. Once the small container was almost full, he set the cauldron down again, waited for the funnel to be empty and moved it to the next flask. The filled one he handed over to Alec, who then picked one of the prepared corks and pushed it into the neck of the small bottle. He needed quite a bit of strength for that and wondered for a moment why Magnus hadn't found an easier way yet. Then he remembered that Magnus probably just used his magic for that task as well. Alec placed this flask on the kitchen table to avoid any risk of not being able to recognize it among the others later.

They repeated the process – minus the antidote – until the cauldron was empty and all the bottles were corked and standing in neat rows on the work surface. Alec had had to activate his Strength rune twice for especially stubborn corks. "Do we put them in the fridge now?" he asked his boyfriend.

Magnus shook his head. "No. We need to seal them first. Let me get the wax and my seal." With those words he left the kitchen.

Alec stayed behind. His fingers itched to start cleaning up immediately, but he needed to ask Magnus first if his potion brewing equipment required some special treatment. He didn't want to damage anything.

When Magnus returned, he was holding several sticks of blood-red sealing wax, a seal, two small jars, a fine paint brush and a burning candle. He placed everything on the work surface and arranged the items to his satisfaction.

Alec was curious to see what Magnus' seal actually looked like. He couldn't remember ever having seen it anywhere.

Magnus held a stick of sealing wax over the candle flame until it melted, dripped a few drops onto the cork of the first flask and then pressed his seal into the wet wax for a few moments. Then he lifted his seal again, handed the container over to his boyfriend and repeated the process for the next flask.

Alec picked up the small bottle and took a closer look at the seal. It showed – the letter 'B'. Beautifully styled and decoratively curved with some added flourishes. It kind of resembled one of the rings Magnus liked to wear.

Once all the flasks were sealed – the one with the antidote still kept separate from the others – Magnus opened the first small jar to reveal fine golden particles. He dipped the tip of the paint brush into them and then lightly swept it across the seal on the special bottle so a golden shimmer was added to the raised parts of the design.

In Alec's opinion, the metallic sheen made the whole thing look very Magnus-y.

Magnus then cleaned the brush and decorated the other seals with fine silver particles from the second jar.

That was a good way to avoid having to label the flask for Mr. Weaver, Alec mused. They really needed a way to tell the containers apart, because now that the antidote had been mixed with the potion, the young man couldn't tell the difference between the pure potion and the mixture anymore.


	34. Chapter 34

They'd placed the sealed flasks in the fridge, put fresh food and water on the balcony for the cats and were almost finished cleaning up the kitchen when Alec's phone buzzed again. He dried his hands and looked at the message. _Owlflight just barely manages to stay on his feet but refuses to give up. More stubborn than I thought. How are you spending your day with Magnus?_ his _parabatai_ had written.

Alec showed the message to Magnus, who grinned, before he typed a response. _Just finished brewing. Need to do some training next._

_Brewing???_

Alec didn't need the multiple question marks to be able to imagine Jace' incredulous look. Just when he'd made up his mind about how much to tell his _parabatai_ about the brewing and wanted to reply, another message arrived.

_Need a partner? We could spar._

Alec hesitated a moment. It would be great to be able to spar with Jace. He didn't want his intern to show up here though, and it didn't look like Renato Owlflight was going to give up as long as he was still drawing breath. _Sparring sounds good. I don't want Owlflight here, though._

_Leave him to me. Should I come over right now or later?_

Alec held his phone so Magnus could read the message as well.

"Do I get to watch your training?"

"If you want to…"

Magnus grinned at him. "Do I want to watch two attractive, well-muscled men spar in my living room? Of course!"

Alec's eyebrows went up. "I didn't realize you considered Jace attractive. Do I need to worry?"

That made Magnus lean over and kiss him chastely on the lips. " _Never._ "

Alec smiled and pulled Magnus closer for a second kiss. "Good. Now, what do I tell Jace?"

"Tell him to come over as soon as is convenient. You might consider asking him to bring dinner as well. Sparring will make you hungry."

Alec chuckled. Magnus was right of course, they'd be hungry after training. He typed _Right now is fine. Stir-fry afterwards? If so I'll send a shopping list_ and showed the message to his boyfriend. At Magnus' nod, he hit 'send'.

Jace' confirmation came within moments of sending: _Be right there. Send the list._

*

Jace grinned as he looked up from his phone and met Izzy's eyes. He winked at her before he turned around and addressed Renato Owlflight, who was panting heavily but refused to give up. "Change of plans, Mr. Owlflight."

"What?" The young man sounded breathless and confused.

"Our Head of Institute just texted. He wants to meet up with Izzy and me for some sparring. Said to bring you if you weren't too tired after your first full day at the Institute."

Renato Owlflight immediately straightened, puffing out his chest and forcing back his shoulders. "I'm not tired," he insisted.

Jace looked him over, forehead creased in a frown, and then aimed a doubtful gaze at Izzy, who'd stepped forward to stand next to him. "I don't know, Izzy. He looks pretty done in. Maybe it would be better if he stayed here. He's trained all day already."

"Come on, Jace! Don't you remember how it was to be new at an Institute? Of course he wants to meet his mentor as soon as possible. If he's sure he's up for more training, let him come along. I mean, he's surely old enough to know his own limits…" Izzy played into his hands.

Jace sighed and gave the intern a last critical gaze. "Alright, Mr. Owlflight. Only if you're sure you can keep up, though. There's no shame in admitting a full day of combat training exhausted you."

The young man bristled at that. "Mr. Herondale, I'm not exhausted. I can keep up. I'd be delighted to finally meet my _intended_ mentor."

Jace registered the emphasis and knew it was meant as a slight against him and his role as temporary mentor, but decided to ignore it for now. This was going to be _fun_.

"In that case, Mr. Owlflight, get a towel and a bottle of water and meet us at the Institute entrance." With those words, Jace turned around and walked off with Izzy. They'd get towels and water bottles for themselves to keep up appearances.

*

Jace was the first to arrive at the meeting point, closely followed by Izzy. They had to wait almost two minutes until Renato Owlflight joined them, a towel over one shoulder and a water bottle in his hand, just like them.

"Where are we going?" the intern asked.

Jace grinned. "To a special place. You'll see." He reached for the doorknob.

"Wait!" Renato Owlflight called. "Aren't you going to use glamors when you go out?"

Izzy looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Are you questioning your orders again, Mr. Owlflight?"

The young man blushed but didn't back down. "We're not supposed to draw the attention of mundanes," he insisted.

Jace sighed. "What do you think will draw more attention: three people in dark clothes and with tattoos or thin air gasping for breath?"

"Mundanes don't carry weapons openly!" The young man wasn't giving up.

"Maybe not where you're from. Here in the US it's not unusual to see a mundane openly carrying. No swords, though. Which is why my seraph blade is glamored. Yours, on the contrary, isn't, now that you mention it. Can you apply the appropriate glamor, or do you need our assistance?"

Izzy just watched. She didn't need to conceal any weapons on her body, since mundanes would consider her electrum bracelet just another piece of jewelry.

The intern blushed even darker. "Of course I can apply a glamor!" He did so with jerky movements to hide his blade.

"Good. Let's go." Jace opened the doors and stepped through, followed by Izzy and Owlflight.

Once they were down the stairs, Jace looked at his companions. "Alright, we're going to use the way there to keep up our stamina and help our muscles stay warm." He didn't wait for their opinion but started down the street at a trot.

It didn't take long until he heard Izzy's light steps behind himself and then the slightly uneven running and heavy breathing of the intern. Jace grinned to himself, now that he knew Owlflight couldn't see it.

Jace kept the pace steady for about a block before he accelerated. Izzy matched his speed easily, as he knew she would. The heavy breathing behind them got louder and turned into gasps.

A few moments later there was a _thump_ and a yelp. Jace pivoted immediately and saw Renato Owlflight kneeling on the sidewalk, gasping for breath. He walked over to the young man. "What happened?"

"St-stumbled…" was the barely understandable reply.

"You stumbled?" Jace asked, incredulous. "Weren't you looking at where you were going?"

When the young man slowly rose, Jace could see that both his palms showed bloody scrapes. Renato Owlflight was swaying on his feet.

Izzy reached out one arm to steady him. "Easy there. Did you hit your head?"

The intern tried to shake the body part in question and wobbled even more.

"Sit down," Izzy told him sternly. "It won't do anyone any good if you fall on your face."

Very reluctantly, Owlflight sat down on the sidewalk, his back against a wall.

Izzy crouched before him. "Slow your breathing, Mr. Owlflight."

Jace meanwhile assured some passers-by that the young man was fine and just needed to catch his breath for a bit. When he finally came to stand right before the intern, Owlflight still didn't have his breathing under control and looked very tired. "See? I told you it was too much for him!" Jace told Izzy.

She glanced up at him with a frown. "How was I supposed to know that Mr. Owlflight either _doesn't_ know his physical limits despite his age and reported experience or chose to _ignore_ his exhaustion against your orders?"

Jace folded his arms across his chest. "Great. Alec is waiting for us for a sparring match. What am I supposed to tell him? That we can't show up because of his intern?"

"No!" Renato Owlflight gasped. "I'm… fine… just… few… minutes…." He barely managed to get the words out in between gasps.

"If you still think you are in any shape or condition to get up in a few minutes, jog to the meeting point with us and join us in a few sparring matches, you're completely delusional. Maybe Alec should have you referred to the Silent Brothers for assessment!"

The intern blanched at that suggestion.

Jace sighed. "Nothing to it. I can't just let Alec wait in vain. Izzy, escort Mr. Owlflight safely back to the Institute. It's your decision whether you send him to the infirmary or to bed, but make sure he drinks enough to make up for all the sweating he did today."

Izzy grumbled something unintelligible.

"Hey, you insisted I bring _him_ along, now you get to babysit. I'm off." He gave Izzy a pat on the shoulder, glared at Owlflight, turned around and fell into a trot again.

Jace ran two more blocks before he allowed himself to give in to the laughter that had been trying to bubble from his chest ever since he'd gotten to send Owlflight home.

*

Alec had moved the furniture in the living room towards the walls to clear as much space as possible for their sparring. Then he'd helped Magnus settle comfortably in an armchair, wrapped in a soft blanket. He'd placed a small table next to the armchair and deposited a carafe of water, a glass, a cup and a thermos of Anti-Flu tea on it.

Since Jace hadn't arrived yet but was sure to be warmed up already from his day training Renato Owlflight, Alec began his own warm-up routine. He was almost through with it by the time Jace entered the room, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, Alec. Magnus." Jace put down the shopping bag near the door to the kitchen and walked forward to embrace his _parabatai_.

Alec patted Jace' shoulder before he stepped back again. "Jace. How did you manage to get away from my intern? And why did you bring a towel and a water bottle?" His _parabatai_ had to know they would have happily supplied him with both.

*

Alec wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. "I hope you know that Izzy will make you pay for saddling her with the job of babysitting Owlflight?" he asked his _parabatai_.

"I hope she won't. She gets to berate Owlflight all evening for not following orders and ruining her opportunity to train with her big brother. I'm sure she'll make the most of _that_ opportunity," Jace replied with a wink.

Magnus, who hadn't laughed quite as hard as the other two, suddenly grinned. "You know what that means, though, right?" At their questioning looks, he elaborated. "Renato Owlflight will think carefully about what he can tell his uncle without having you report on _him_. I'm sure Clave officials wouldn't openly condone him not following his superior's orders."

"They probably wouldn't," Alec agreed. "Owlflight will now, hopefully, be more willing to do as he's told. At least for a little while." He was under no illusions there. If the young man was so sure of his own competence, this day's events wouldn't cow him for long.

"So, are you ready to spar?" Jace interrupted his thoughts.

"Sure," Alec replied. "Since we're in Magnus' apartment I'd like to ban your usual acrobatics – like somersaults. There's just no room for those."

Jace gazed up at the ceiling. He could most likely do a somersault in here, but it was probably better not to test that assumption. "Okay. Runes activated or not?"

Alec hesitated for a moment. "Let's do this without runes – and without weapons."

Jace nodded his agreement.

They both removed all weapons from their bodies and laid them on the floor, out of the way. Then they took their positions in the middle of the room, maybe two arm lengths apart.

"Ready?" Alec asked Jace.

"Ready." Jace replied with a grin.

They began to circle each other, watching for any sign of movement or weakness.

*

Magnus sipped his tea as he watched the two young men in front of him. Both were smiling, and both had the air of a predator ready to jump its prey. He was really looking forward to this. Of course he had seen Alexander in action before, but this was different. This time, there was no threat, no enemy he needed to keep an eye on or help fight. This time, he could focus on the way his boyfriend's body moved, could really _watch_ instead of just glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

*

Alec didn't know how long they'd been circling each other when Jace suddenly lunged at him, trying to throw him to the floor. Since there was no time to evade the attack, Alec dropped backwards and used his foot and his _parabatai_ 's momentum to throw Jace over his head.

Alec was up again in the blink of an eye and had to jump as Jace tried to sweep his feet out from under him with one leg. He went from jump to kick in an instant and aimed for Jace' midsection. His foot was grabbed before it could connect with Jace' body, and his leg was twisted around, forcing him to follow the motion. Alec fell, rolled and tried to wrench his foot out of his _parabatai_ 's grip.

Jace let go of the foot and immediately jumped forward, straddling Alec's stomach and trying to cut off his _parabatai_ 's air with his forearm.

Alec intercepted the descending arm with both his hands and dug the fingers of one hand into Jace' wrist while the other pushed against his _parabatai_ 's elbow, attempting to force the joint to bend the wrong way.

Grunting from the painful grip, Jace used his free hand to throw a punch aimed for Alec's nose.

Alec saw the punch coming, let go of the elbow and caught Jace' fist in his hand. The difference in size meant he had a firm grip on his _parabatai_ 's hand, and he wasn't planning on letting go.

They were both panting as they looked at each other, their arms crossed and caught in a stalemate between them for the moment. When Jace didn't manage to free his hands again and Alec found no way to push his _parabatai_ off, they unanimously declared the first fight a draw.

Jace stood up and pulled Alec up with him.

Alec let go of Jace' arms.

Jace immediately used one arm to wipe away the sweat that had collected on his forehead. "Has it always been so warm in here?"

Alec shrugged. "Magnus is still recovering, so I may have changed the thermostat's setting a bit."

Jace glanced sideways at Magnus, who was wrapped in a fluffy blanket and sipping tea. "Well, it's too warm for normal training gear," he decided and stripped off his shirt. He threw the garment into a corner of the room and took off his shoes and socks next, placing them against the wall.

Alec was sweating as well and followed Jace' example. His eyebrows went up when he saw Magnus' grin. "Enjoying the show?"

Magnus' expression didn't change. "Oh, most definitely, Alexander."

Jace looked at both of them and grinned. "Sorry to disappoint you, Magnus, but _my_ pants stay on."

"What do you mean, _your_ pants? What do you think I'm wearing?"

Alec's indignant question made Jace laugh. "Relax. I just wanted to make sure Magnus knew he wasn't going to get a _show_ from me."

Magnus chuckled. "Don't worry, Jace. Watching you and Alexander fight is very entertaining in itself, even if the pants stay on."

"So it's entertaining to watch me beat your boyfriend?" Jace asked with a grin.

"From where I'm sitting it didn't look like you won, Jace," Magnus informed the young man.

"But I'm going to win," Jace insisted.

"We'll see about that," Alec told him. "Are you ready for another round?"

Jace nodded and they took their positions again.

This time, there was no prolonged circling. Jace feinted low and tried to punch Alec's jaw.

Alec stepped aside and turned slightly, managing to hit Jace between the shoulder blades with his flat hand, pushing him forward harder.

Jace stumbled, rolled and came to his feet again.

Alec had followed Jace' progress. Now he spun and aimed a kick at his _parabatai_ 's chest.

Jace avoided being hit by quickly stepping aside and leaning backwards. Then he tried to sweep Alec's feet out from under him before he had a chance to regain his balance.

Alec fell, rolled and jumped back to his feet. When he turned around, Jace was already waiting for him, fist flying towards his face. Alec leaned to the side a little, blocked his _parabatai_ 's attack with his own forearm and aimed for Jace' solar plexus with his flat hand.

Jace turned out of the way and thus avoided being hit.

When his hand only met thin air where he'd expected solid flesh, Alec regained his balance with a quick step forward.

Jace meanwhile stepped further to the side, trying to get at Alec's back.

Alec, who was watching him from the corner of his eye, turned with him so they stayed face-to-face.

They were back to circling.

Again, it was Jace who attacked first. He lunged and let his body slide through between his _parabatai_ 's legs, intending to grab his ankles and sweep him off his feet.

Alec, who did remember that move from another training session, jumped up to be out of Jace' reach and executed a 180 degree turn before he landed again. That brought him down right behind his _parabatai_. Alec immediately dropped to a crouch to take Jace into a chokehold.

Jace, still slightly surprised that Alec had managed to evade him, acted on instinct alone as he grabbed his _parabatai_ 's wrist with one hand and pushed his elbow upwards with the other, fingers digging into the skin, until he could slip his head out of the chokehold. He managed to get into a crouch in the process and tried to wrench the arm behind his _parabatai_ 's back.

Alec, who'd had to turn to avoid an injury to his elbow, didn't have enough leverage to tear his arm from Jace' grip. His arm was at an angle now that hurt. He blindly reached behind himself with his free arm in an attempt to hit Jace in the face or neck to make him let go.

Jace saw the hand coming and leaned away from it, twisting Alec's arm a little more.

Alec groaned in pain. He couldn't find any part of Jace to grab, he couldn't get out of his _parabatai_ 's grip… resigned, he tapped the floor twice with his free hand.

"See?" Jace panted. "Told you I was gonna win!" He let go of Alec's arm and stood up.

"Stop gloating," Alec grumbled. "We're not done for today yet." He scrambled to his feet as well.

Jace had meanwhile opened his water bottle and was drinking in slow sips. "I'm game for another round if you are," he told his _parabatai_.

"Most definitely," Alec informed him. "I'll just get something to drink as well."

"You can have the water," Magnus spoke up for the first time since they'd begun the fight. "I prefer the tea anyway."

Alec walked over to his boyfriend and emptied the glass of water with deep, slow sips. "Thank you, Magnus. Are you still comfortable?"

Magnus smiled up at him. "Very, thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing you beat Jace in your next fight."

"But he isn't going to beat me," Jace threw in. "Ready to lose yet again, Alec?"

"Ready to eat your words?" Alec replied.


	35. Chapter 35

They went three more rounds. Alec actually won the next one, but was defeated by Jace the other two times. After their fifth fight and the subsequent rearranging of furniture to return the living room to its usual state, they were both sweaty and panting heavily.

"I'd offer you the guest bathroom, Jace, but right now that's our only bathroom," Alec informed his _parabatai_. "So my suggestion is that I shower first and then make dinner while you take a shower."

Jace shrugged. "I didn't bring any clean clothes anyway."

"I'm sure we have something in our wardrobe that you can wear," Magnus informed him.

Jace looked wary at that thought.

Alec chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find some of Magnus' things that fit you reasonably well." He turned to look at Magnus. "Do you need anything before I go shower?"

Magnus put down his cup and started to push his blanket to the side. "Now that you mention it, I need a trip to the bathroom."

Alec was by his boyfriend's side in seconds and helped him get up. They walked to the bathroom together, but Magnus let go of Alec's arm after a few steps and walked on his own.

*

After a short discussion, Alec let Magnus return to the living room alone and stripped off his sweaty pants and underwear. A glance into the mirror made him change his plans to include a quick shave before he stepped into the shower.

The warm water felt really good on his skin, especially since it removed the sticky feeling of sweat. Shampoo and shower gel covered him in a fresh scent, a mix of citrus and mint.

Alec dried off quickly and dressed in clean clothes before he checked their wardrobe for something that would fit Jace. His own pants would be too long and his shirts not wide enough around the shoulders for his _parabatai_ , so he chose black track pants and a plain dark blue t-shirt from Magnus' side of the wardrobe.

He added two towels to the pile and left the guest bedroom in search of Jace.

*

Jace felt thirsty but had emptied his water bottle already. Well, that was no problem. He'd lived in this apartment for a while after all. He still remembered where everything was. He sincerely doubted Magnus or Alec would mind if he got himself a glass of water.

In the kitchen, he filled a glass from the tap but left some room for juice. When he opened the fridge, however, he frowned. What were those strange flasks doing in there? They were sealed, and they didn't really look like someone would keep tea or wine or any other drink in them.

Jace gave a mental shrug and lifted the bottle of orange juice from its place in the fridge door. He would ask Alec about those flasks later, he decided, as he added some juice to his glass and put the bottle back in the fridge.

*

When Magnus re-entered the living room, Jace was sitting on the sofa and sipping what looked like a glass of orange juice.

The young man looked up at the sound of footsteps. "Is Alec in the shower already?" he asked.

Magnus nodded as he took careful steps towards the armchair.

"Do you need any help?" Jace inquired, placing his glass on the table.

"No, I think I'll manage," Magnus informed him.

Jace still watched his every step, looking ready to jump to his feet at the first sign of Magnus faltering.

 _So, no pressure_ , Magnus thought wryly. Determined not to fall in front of Jace, he walked on. He still felt slightly less secure on his feet than he would have liked, but he would be damned if he had to ask his boyfriend's _parabatai_ for his helping hand on the last yard or so.

The moment he sat down and leaned back in his armchair, a sense of accomplishment filled Magnus' body. He'd managed to walk to another room without help for the first time since Alexander had moved in to take care of him! Hopefully, he would be back to his old strength soon now.

*

Jace had had his doubts about Magnus' ability to reach the armchair unassisted. In this case, he was glad to be proven wrong. It looked like Magnus was – finally! – really on the mend. He glanced at the healing gash on the warlock's forehead. "Magnus?"

"Hm?" Magnus turned his head slightly to look at the young man.

"How does your forehead feel?"

Magnus shrugged. "I barely notice the wound anymore." That wasn't quite true, though. He did feel twinges of pain whenever he used the muscles under or near the gash, or whenever Izzy examined the wound.

"Is it very strange? I mean, healing like that?" Jace himself didn't really want to imagine healing without the help of runes and potions. He was so used to injuries being gone within minutes or, at worst, hours that going through days or maybe even weeks of healing sounded horrifying to him.

Magnus thought about the question for a moment. "It is strange, for sure. I'd normally just use my magic to heal the wound and clean up my face and there'd be no trace left of the incident. Now Alexander needs to be careful when he washes my hair because the wound mustn't get wet, and I see the line and those white strips that keep the edges together whenever I glance into a mirror. Every morning, Isabelle examines the gash for signs of infection or other problems with the healing process. All that is new and kind of annoying." He sighed. "At least it looks like I will be rid of the Warlock Cold soon. Then I can just speed up the healing _my way_."

Jace nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. I bet you can barely wait for that to happen."

"Living a long life teaches you some patience," Magnus informed the young man with a small smile. "I sure am glad that Isabelle and Catarina know about mundane medical treatments, though. Without their help and input I might not have survived this."

"You know that there never was any question about whether or not Izzy would help, right, Magnus?" Jace ventured.

Magnus shrugged uncomfortably. "Most people prefer getting help to giving it," he replied vaguely.

"Not us," Jace insisted. "Besides, you're practically part of the family by now. You also make Alec happy. Which means we intend to keep you around for a _long_ time."

"So I've been told," Magnus informed him with a wry smile.

Jace grinned at him. "Good." He took a sip from his glass.

"So, how was your day with Alexander's intern? The messages he showed me sounded like you were having fun."

"Yeah." Jace chuckled. "Renato Owlflight is more tenacious than I thought, though." And he launched into the tale of how he'd spent his day trying to tire out the newest addition to the New York Institute.

*

When Alec entered the living room, Magnus and Jace were talking animatedly. He waited until his _parabatai_ had finished his sentence before he spoke. "Jace? Bathroom's free. I left towels and clothes for you on the foot end of the bed."

Jace stood up in one fluid motion. "Great, thanks." He walked towards the guest room.

Magnus smiled at his boyfriend. "You look good. Will you make dinner now?"

Alec walked over to Magnus and leaned down for a quick kiss. "Thank you. I will. Why?"

"Mmmh. Mind if I watch?"

"Of course not. Do you need help getting up?" Alec asked, folding back the blanket again.

Magnus hesitated a moment. "I'm not sure, but I would like to try on my own. Stay close, though?"

Alec nodded and watched as his boyfriend scooted forward a bit on the armchair and then stood up slowly.

Magnus managed to get to his feet, albeit a bit wobbly, and quickly found his balance. He beamed up at his boyfriend.

Alec returned the happy smile. "That's great, Magnus. Let's go to the kitchen."

They walked side by side, with Alec slowing his steps enough for Magnus to keep up with him.

*

When Jace left the guest bedroom, a faint scent of food hit his nose. He inhaled deeply. That smelled like dinner wasn't going to take much longer. Since he felt quite hungry, he considered that great timing.

Jace walked into the kitchen and smiled at Magnus, who was sitting at the table, which was set for three already, and Alec, who was standing in front of the stove and looking at him over his shoulder. "Thank you for the change of clothes, Alec," he told his _parabatai_. "Mmmmmh, this smells delicious!"

"You're welcome," Alec replied, turning back to face the food he was preparing. "Dinner will be ready in a moment."

"Great. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You can pour drinks for everyone, if you want. Magnus' tea is in that thermos," Alec pointed with the hand that wasn't holding the spatula, "and I would like a glass of water. There's orange juice in the fridge as well, if you'd prefer that."

"Okay." Jace did as he was asked. When he retrieved the orange juice from the fridge, he remembered the question he'd wanted to ask Alec. Well, that could wait. Right now, he was hungry.

*

The food was almost gone when Jace remembered his question. He looked at Alec. "When I opened the fridge, I noticed the sealed flasks in there. What do you keep in there that you have to seal them?"

"Virility potion," Magnus replied nonchalantly.

Alec blushed and almost choked on the bite of meat in his mouth.

Jace' eyebrows rose towards his hairline. He wasn't sure he'd heard that correctly. The color of his _parabatai_ 's face said he had. "Virility potion?" Jace still asked incredulously.

Magnus just nodded.

Alec was still trying to get his breathing back under control.

"Why do you need so much Virility Potion?" He looked at Magnus. "Wait, are you having trouble keeping up with Alec and his Stamina Rune?"

Alec's blush darkened a few shades.

"Wha—? No! I…" Magnus sputtered.

Jace focused on Alec now. "Please don't tell me you need the Virility Potion _and_ your Stamina Rune to… perform?" The next moment he wanted to clamp a hand over his mouth. He wasn't sure what would be worse: If Alec refused to answer and the thought stayed in his mind, or if Alec confirmed that he was right. Why did he have to ask? It was none of his business if they wanted to keep a supply of that potion handy.

Alec opened and closed his mouth a few times but apparently either didn't know what to say or couldn't get the words out. His face was the darkest shade of red Jace had ever seen it.

Magnus had meanwhile regained his composure to some degree. "The potion is for my clients. We brewed it today. It is in the fridge, because I cannot use a stasis spell right now," he informed their guest with a straight face and a serious tone.

Jace felt glad that the explanation for the sealed flasks was so much less embarrassing than he'd thought. Right until Magnus added, with a wink, "I can assure you that neither Alexander nor I suffer from any problems in that area or have trouble with our stamina."

"Magnus!" Alec gasped, still red-faced and looking horrified.

Jace gulped and sternly told his mind _not_ to ponder that information now or _ever_. That was more than he'd _ever_ wanted to know about his _parabatai_.

Magnus shrugged. "What, Alexander? Would you have preferred me to let him believe you or me or both of us can't satisfy each other without the aid of a potion?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No! I… He… _It's none of his business!_ " Alec hissed.

"And I sincerely regret asking," Jace added, hands raised in surrender. He was worried Magnus might feel the need to tell him more about what happened between the two of them behind closed doors if he didn't make it sufficiently clear that there were no more questions. None he wanted to know the answers to, at least.

*

They'd cleaned up the kitchen together, with Magnus mostly keeping the other two company as they worked, and chatted about less intimate matters for a while.

When Jace had declared it was time for him to get back to the Institute, Alec had offered to get the bag of laundry and walk him to the door while Magnus had preferred to stay in the kitchen.

"So, what's your plan for Owlflight tomorrow?" Alec asked Jace as they were walking towards the apartment door.

Jace shrugged. "I think he might be somewhat subdued after today's events. I really hope Izzy made him feel exactly how displeased she is to miss our sparring appointment." He winked at his _parabatai_.

Alec grinned. Having his sister over to spar with her as well had never been the plan. Jace had just needed someone to take the exhausted intern back to the Institute. "He might also feel that he has to prove something, _especially_ after what happened today. Which means he may try even harder to impress you tomorrow," he cautioned.

Jace seemed unfazed. "Let him try. I'm sure he will use all the runes he can think off to get rid of the ache in his muscles and recover as much energy as he can. Since he hasn't even sparred with half the people in the Institute yet, I'm quite certain I will be able to keep him busy, though." Then his expression brightened. "Wait. I told Owlflight that Izzy _and_ I had an appointment with you. Shouldn't you convey your displeasure that your intern caused your sister to miss said appointment?"

Alec's grin widened. "You're right. I most definitely should express my disappointment at his inability to follow orders and the subsequent change in plans." He put down the bag of laundry in the hallway and walked to the living room, followed by Jace.

They took a quick detour to the kitchen to inform Magnus of the delay. He was immediately in favor of the plan and accompanied the two men to the living room to assist with drafting the message.

*

It took the three of them about fifteen minutes until a signed and sealed letter from Alexander Lightwood, Head of the New York Institute, to Renato Owlflight, intern, was on the table before them. They'd worked to make the words a balance between disappointment, reprimand, threat of consequences and hope for improvement.

Jace picked up the letter. "I really hope Owlflight decides to read this the moment I hand it to him. I'd love to see his face."

Alec chuckled. "If he does, you have to share the memory."

"Share it with me as well and I'll turn it into a picture for you as soon as I can use my magic again," Magnus offered.

Both Alec and Jace grinned at him. "That'd be great!" they said in unison.

"I really need to leave now," Jace said after a glance at his phone.

Alec stood up to give his _parabatai_ a quick hug. "Thank you for coming by for training. Make sure my intern survives all the training you're planning to put him through. A dead intern's not the kind of thing I want on my Clave record."

Jace chuckled. "Sure. I do intend to work him to exhaustion again, though." He bid Magnus a good night and then walked to the door, picked up the bag of laundry and left.

Alec turned to Magnus. "What are you in the mood for now?"

*

"Bathroom, then bed?" Magnus replied to Alexander's question, his tone hopeful. While he was very glad that he'd recovered some of his mobility and autonomy, today's activities had taken their toll and he felt really tired. All he wanted to do, is soak a bit in hot water and then snuggle into bed.

"No inhalation first?" his boyfriend asked with a frown.

Magnus hesitated for a moment. He felt tempted to say 'no', but he really wanted to get rid of the last symptoms of Warlock Cold as quickly as possible. He sighed. "No, inhalation first, then bathroom, _then_ bed."

Alexander smiled at him and leaned down for a gentle kiss. "Hey, I know you don't like the treatments, but it won't be long now until you're fully recovered and don't need them anymore." Another kiss. "Do you want to wait here, or do you want to come to the kitchen and watch the preparations?"

Magnus hummed. He loved Alexander's kisses. "Kitchen," he finally decided and slowly stood up from his place on the sofa.

*

The inhalation treatment had been easier to bear than before. Apparently, there wasn't all that much phlegm left for him to get out. Which in itself was a good sign.

They had taken the evening sample and done the usual examinations already. His fever had gone down further compared to the evening before, and his blood sugar was pretty normal as well.

Magnus was now soaking in the hot water and enjoying the way Alexander was massaging his head. He felt like he could stay in there forever. "Mmmmh," he hummed. "Are you going to still do this for me once I'm well again?"

Alexander chuckled. "Sure. Probably not daily, though, since I'll have to go back to the Institute. I hope you'll return the favor."

"Of course." Magnus assured him, before he returned to just relaxing under his boyfriend's touch and enjoying the massage.

*

Once Magnus sat on the bed, Alec brought him a glass of water and the antimycotic. "Do you want me to heat up Hoot Chi Minh for tonight?"

Magnus swallowed the pill before he replied. "No, thank you. I don't feel cold anymore. Besides, I can always scoot over and steal your body heat," he told his boyfriend with a grin.

That made Alec chuckle. "Feel free to steal as much of my body heat as you'd like." He leaned over his boyfriend and tugged the covers up to his chin before he walked over to his side of the bed. After he'd turned off the ceiling lights and set an alarm on his phone for the morning, he crawled into bed next to Magnus.

His boyfriend waited for him to settle under the covers and then snuggled into his side, his head pillowed on Alec's shoulder. Magnus breathed in his boyfriend's unique scent and let his hand travel over Alec's naked chest and abdomen, tracing the solid muscles under that soft skin.

Alec shivered under those soft touches. He was very glad that Magnus was feeling well enough again to seek this kind of contact, but he also knew his boyfriend hadn't fully recovered yet from the disease. He caught Magnus' wandering hand with his and kissed the crown of his boyfriend's head. "We should try to sleep. You need to recover your strength, Magnus."

Magnus shook his head. "Not that tired," he mouthed against Alec's chest before he caught his boyfriend's nipple between his lips and sucked lightly. He was rewarded by a sharp inhalation and a squeeze of his hand. Smirking, Magnus started to kiss his way over to the other nipple. He still lacked the strength to hold his own weight up for any length of time but the skin-on-skin contact as he slid further onto his boyfriend's torso held its own charm.

Alec's breathing sped up and other parts of his body were definitely beginning to take an interest in proceedings. "Magnus, we really shouldn't." He knew his lover was still weak from the disease and exhausted from this day's activities and should rest, but oh how he'd missed his touch!

Magnus stilled and looked at his boyfriend's face. "We shouldn't, or you don't want to?" he inquired. "Because I feel fine and I really missed this," Magnus stated, before kissing the nipple again.

"I want you," Alec breathed. "But I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Magnus reassured him, gently rubbing his thumb over Alec's skin. He slowly dragged one leg up to rest it across his boyfriend's and snuggled even closer.


	36. Chapter 36

_Day 13_

They woke up, still entwined, when Jace' ringtone blared from Alec's phone.

Alec groped blindly for the device and accepted the call. "Jace? What time is it?" he asked groggily.

Magnus made a discontented sound and buried his head against his boyfriend's chest again.

"Why are you calling at a quarter past six in the morning? What happened? Wait… let me put you on speaker." Alec did just that and opened his eyes. If his _parabatai_ was calling at this hour it had to be important.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but the Clave called with new orders," Jace' voice sounded from the phone.

Now Magnus had his eyes open as well and was listening intently.

"New orders? Are they going to send me _another_ intern?" Alec asked, voice laced with sarcasm.

"No, worse," Jace told him. "For one, they want you to hand in a first evaluation of Owlflight no later than eight in the morning tomorrow."

Alec groaned. "Why? Interns are never evaluated this early on in their stay, are they? How much do they think the young man has changed in two and a half days?"

"If I were to guess I'd say they want to make sure you have to take care of your intern personally so you won't be able to spend as much time with Magnus. Or, if you choose to take care of your sick boyfriend rather than following their order, they can demote you," Jace informed them glumly.

"I will not let them take away Alexander's position as Head of Institute because of me," Magnus spoke up. "As much as I enjoy having him around, he should return to the Institute then. I'm well enough to take care of myself again."

Alec smiled at his boyfriend and brushed a kiss onto his forehead.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Magnus," Jace said. "At least not immediately. I can write most of that evaluation, and Alec can review it when he returns to the Institute this afternoon. There should be enough time for him to actually meet his intern in person and complete the evaluation."

"Thank you, Jace. And thank you, Magnus, for offering. I really don't want to leave yet and would gladly stay until the afternoon. Unless you want your apartment to yourself again?"

Magnus immediately shook his head. "No, of course not. I'd love to have you around for a bit longer. I just don't want you to be punished for helping me."

"Alright then. Jace, you said 'for one'. What is the other order that makes this worse than another intern?" Alec wanted to know.

"Oh, you're going to love this." Jace sighed. "The Clave has made its decision about replacing Whiteheart."

"And they're not sending a replacement?" Alec guessed by Jace' mood. "But they can't do that. They have to kno—"

He was interrupted by his _parabatai_ "No, they are sending a replacement. Her name is Anaïs Blackhawk."

That name didn't ring any bells for Alec. He'd never heard of the woman. "Okay. Does she specialize in demonology?" he asked with a bad feeling. Surely Jace would be in a better mood if they were about to get the replacement they needed and requested.

" _No!_ " Jace exclaimed. "She's a _diplomat_!"

They could hear Jace take a few deep breaths.

"A diplomat?" Alec asked, incredulous. "Why are they sending us a diplomat?"

"The official reason for assigning her to the New York Institute is that the Clave wants her to support you in bettering the relationship with the Downworlders. They say your goals are noble but you are very young and could benefit from a personal assistant with lots of experience in diplomacy."

" _Personal assistant?_ " Alec squeaked, though he would have denied ever having made that sound. "I don't need a personal assistant versed in diplomacy. I need a demonologist!"

"Well, you're getting a diplomat. She's also, like, _old_."

"Now, that's not nice to say about a woman," Magnus threw in. "Besides, 'old' is just a matter of definition."

"She's old enough to be retired already," Jace growled. "I checked her file and she's _71_! Since there is no assignment listed for the last eleven years, that probably means she actually _was_ retired already and has now been reactivated. There's no way she can go on missions at her age. She probably hasn't kept her fighting skills up if she was retired already, so she'll need a guard whenever she wants to leave the Institute."

Alec didn't know what to say at first. He looked at Magnus and then at his phone, silently hoping that Jace was joking. Or he was hallucinating. Maybe he was still asleep and having a very vivid and weird dream. Or rather, nightmare. He pinched his thigh under the covers and winced slightly. No dream then.

"That's worse than useless," he finally blurted. "Not only are we not getting the replacement we urgently need, no, I get to babysit an old woman who probably thinks she knows everything better than I do and expects me to follow her advice. Which means, the Clave is taking part of the control over Institute matters away from me. I can't even do all that much about it, because they've disguised it as _helping me_!"

Magnus rubbed his boyfriend's shoulder soothingly. "You'll manage, Alexander. If there is any demon-related problem, you can always come to me for answers."

Alec opened his mouth to speak, but his boyfriend shushed him.

"If you're worried it may be seen as favoritism, I'll talk to Catarina. I'm sure she'd be willing to make a deal with you to help out for a lower fee than she'd usually take. You saved my life, after all."

"Thank you, Magnus. That helps a little, but still leaves me with a meddling old woman as personal assistant, I'm afraid. When is she supposed to arrive?" The last was directed towards Jace – or rather the phone.

"Today at half past four in the afternoon. The Clave expects you to greet her _in person_ – and yes, they actually emphasized it just like that – and get her acquainted with the current state of our relationships with the Downworlders and your plans for the near future," Jace informed him. "She will be your personal assistant until further notice. Also their words, not mine."

Alec sighed. "Great. I am so looking forward to that." He felt very tempted to just pull the covers over their heads and stay right here, in this bed, with Magnus for the foreseeable future. Why did the Clave insist on constantly making his life more difficult?

"Yeah, I thought you would," Jace replied. "Sorry, Alec. I assumed you'd want to know immediately. I can prepare everything, including a room for our newest Institute member, so it'll suffice for you to arrive by four. Then you're present to greet her even if she just so happens to arrive a little early…"

"Thank you, Jace. I'll be there by four."

"And I will make sure Alexander looks his best when he greets his new personal assistant," Magnus added before Alec or Jace had time to disconnect the call.

The sound of Jace' chuckle cut off abruptly as Alec ended the call.

Alec let his head drop back into the pillow with a deep groan. "By the Angel, what have I ever done to deserve this? An intern _and_ a personal assistant, both probably out to prove I'm doing something wrong."

Magnus kissed his shoulder, then his chest. "You're in a position of power in New York, and other people envy you that position. Besides, you've snatched up the best-looking bachelor in the whole city, of course people are jealous and want to keep you away from me."

Alec could almost _feel_ his boyfriend's smirk during the last sentence. "I'm pretty sure the Clave members are _not_ jealous of my relationship with you," he told Magnus. "More like disapproving, I'm afraid."

Magnus snuggled into his boyfriend's chest and let his flat hand travel down to Alec's stomach.

"What are you doing, Magnus?"

"Mmmmmh," Magnus hummed against the warm skin under his lips. "We still have time until that alarm goes off…"

*

Jace ate in the mess hall that morning instead of just grabbing something from the kitchen. He hadn't seen Renato Owlflight since the last afternoon, when Izzy had taken him back to the Institute, and he still needed to hand the young man Alec's letter. The item in question lay next to him, backside-up so nobody could read who the recipient was.

He was almost finished with his meal by the time he saw the young man walk into the room. Owlflight looked a lot better than the afternoon before. He had to have activated just about every helpful rune on his body to recover that much that fast.

"Mr. Owlflight!" Jace called and waved.

The young man hesitated before he walked over. "Good morning, Mr. Herondale."

Jace waited for another moment to give the intern the chance to apologize for what happened the day before, but the young man just stood there.

"Good morning, Mr. Owlflight. I hope you've recovered from yesterday and are fit for duty again?"

Renato Owlflight nodded tersely. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Jace took a sip of his coffee before he picked up the letter. "Alexander Lightwood gave me this message for you," he said as he handed the envelope over.

The intern's face showed surprise, but he accepted the letter. "Why didn't you give me the letter last night?" he wanted to know, adding a sullen "Sir?" when Jace raised one eyebrow.

"Because you'd already retired for the day by the time I came back to the Institute," he informed the young man. "I figured you needed the additional rest to recover your strength. Your combat assessment isn't finished yet." He could actually see Owlflight grit his teeth.

"Yes, sir."

Jace was amazed how much like an insult those two words could sound. He watched the intern tear open the envelope and unfold the letter.

Renato Owlflight's face slowly turned red and his hands were gradually clenching the sheet of paper he was holding the longer he read. When he lowered the letter and focused on Jace again, he looked furious. "You… you _badmouthed_ me in front of the Head of Institute? What were you trying to achieve? Give him a bad impression before I've ever had the chance to meet him in person? End my internship before it has really begun? Wha—"

Jace had gotten up from his chair and raised one hand to stop the flow of words. "Mr. Owlflight, pull yourself together unless you want to spend the morning on ichor duty so you have time to calm down."

" _Ichor duty?_ " This seemed to set the young man off again. "You have no right to threaten me. You can't reassign me, either. My mentor is Alexander Lightwood, only he can reassign me elsewhere. You are just his… his _lackey_ and—"

"ENOUGH!" Jace shouted, now truly angry with that insolent young man. He didn't care that by now they had the undivided attention of everyone in the room. When he addressed the intern again, his voice was calm and icy. "Mr. Owlflight, you are a _disgrace_ to your previous mentors. A Shadowhunter of your age should know the proper comportment by heart. You're behaving like a child not worthy of their first rune yet, throwing tantrums when you don't get what you want."

The intern opened his mouth to protest, but Jace cut him off with a gesture. "You've been complaining about your orders ever since your arrival the day before yesterday, claiming the tasks your new mentor set you were beneath you. Yesterday, you failed to obey a direct order and caused another Shadowhunter to miss their appointment with the Head of Institute. Now you refuse to take responsibility for your actions, accuse others of working against you and are _challenging the authority of a superior_."

He took a deep breath and glared at the young man. "You are on ichor duty today, and if you try to shirk that duty I will have you brought up on charges and punished for your refusal to obey orders."

That made Renato Owlflight blanch. The muscles in his face were twitching, and he was clenching and unclenching his hands, Alec's letter crumpled in one of them.

Jace didn't relent. "Do. You. Understand?" He spoke slowly and emphasized every single word.

" _Yes. Sir!_ " The words were said with gritted teeth. "Do you have any more orders for me, sir?"

The way Owlflight was looking at him, Jace was glad that looks couldn't kill someone. Still, he let the young man stew for a moment before he replied. "No, not right now. Dismissed." He wouldn't have used that tone of voice or those exact words with any of the other Shadowhunters at the Institute, but he had the distinct impression that friendliness and leniency wouldn't get him anywhere with Owlflight.

The intern gave a curt nod, pivoted on one foot and stalked off, posture straight and tense, presumably to get breakfast.

Jace sighed, took a deep breath and sat down again. He alternated between sipping his coffee and informing Alec via text message of what had happened.

*

They'd actually dozed off again after making good – and pleasurable – use of the early wakeup call, and Alec was startled when a beeping sound woke him from slumber. It took him a moment to recognize his phone's way of announcing incoming text messages.

Magnus stirred against his side, mumbling incoherently in his sleep.

Alec rubbed his boyfriend's back as he groped for his phone with his other hand.

Magnus hummed and snuggled closer.

The phone beeped again. And again. What in the Angel's name was going on right now that someone was sending him so many messages this early in the day?

"What'sthenoiseabout?" Magnus mumbled against his boyfriend's chest.

It took Alec a moment to separate the string of sounds into words. "I don't know yet," he replied honestly. Once he'd finally managed to pick up his phone and hold it right-side-up – meaning the display was no longer facing away from him – he tapped on the screen to open the messages.

His initial curiosity quickly gave way to annoyance at what he read. Alec groaned.

That made Magnus lift his head slowly and open his eyes. He blinked a few times. "What's wrong?" he asked, making an effort to speak clearly.

"Owlflight!" Alec grumbled, then realized that more of an explanation would be necessary. "I thought he might be a bit cowed by yesterday's events, but apparently he's still very sure of himself and doesn't feel like treating people with respect… or following orders. Now Jace has put him on ichor duty for the day, to give him time to calm down and think."

Magnus grinned. "Good. That might teach the boy."

Alec shook his head. "I'm not so sure it will. It's a lot more likely that Owlflight will accost me the moment I enter the Institute – or the moment someone tells him I'm back – to complain about how he's been treated in my absence and demand I do something about it. Punish Jace, for example."

"I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with your intern. You are a great Head of Institute and an excellent Shadowhunter," Magnus told his boyfriend with conviction. "How long until we're supposed to get up?"

Alec checked his phone. "A little over thirty minutes. We could get up now."

Magnus rested his weight on his boyfriend's torso to keep him from rolling out of bed. "Or," he offered, "we could stay in bed and snuggle until the alarm sounds."

It didn't take much effort to convince Alec to change his plans and curl up with Magnus again.

*

When Izzy arrived at nine in the morning, both Alec and Magnus were ready for her.

They'd taken the morning samples and performed the necessary examinations already, had gotten dressed and were on their first cup of coffee and tea, respectively.

"Good morning, both of you!" Izzy greeted them. "How are you, Magnus?"

Magnus smiled at the young woman. "Good morning, Isabelle. I'm fine. Feeling better every day. No more fever, little to no coughing, not much pain in the wound."

"Morning, Iz. Would you like a cup of coffee as well?" Alec asked his sister.

"Sure," Izzy replied to her brother's question then turned her attention back to Magnus. "And that sounds all very good. Let me just draw some blood and take a look at the stitches." She walked over to the bed and saw her brother leaving for the kitchen from the corner of her eye.

*

Alec returned with the coffee in time to hear his sister speak to Magnus.

"… looks very good, no redness, no sign of infection. Seems to be healing nicely."

He walked into the room and handed the cup over to Izzy. "So, everything's fine then?"

Izzy took a cautious sip of the hot beverage and smiled. "As far as I can tell, yes. It looks like Magnus has finally won his battle against the Warlock Cold."

"And did you gather sufficient data from all those samples and notes?" Magnus asked her.

Izzy smiled. "Oh yes, I did." Guessing the reason behind the question, she chuckled. "Don't worry, Magnus. All that poking and prodding did do some good after all. If everything works out as planned, the publication of my data and Catarina's additional medical insight will save many a warlock's life in the future."

"Good," Magnus declared. "It doesn't make the process of gathering that information any more pleasant for the involuntary test subject but it feels good to know that the data might save lives."

"I'm especially glad that Izzy's and Catarina's knowledge and help saved one particular warlock's life," Alec insisted, aiming a loving smile at Magnus.

His boyfriend beamed up at him, eyes shining.

"Get a room, you two!" Izzy told them with a wide grin.

"We already did. You're standing in it," Magnus informed her drily.

That made her laugh. "Then I probably should leave."

"You don't have to," Alec threw in. "It's time for breakfast anyway. Or have you eaten already?"

"Yes, I had breakfast at the Institute. With your personal assistant arriving today and your intern being a pain in the… butt, I'm needed for preparations. When I left, Jace was busy making sure Owlflight actually did his job properly."

Alec's face fell a little. "Oh. I'm sorry I saddled you all with that guy. I'll take over responsibility for him once I'm back."

Izzy opened her mouth to reply, but Magnus beat her to it. "I don't think that's a good idea, Alexander. You've given your intern the order to let your people assess his abilities and knowledge before you teach him about leading an Institute. If you take back that order the moment you arrive at the Institute, he will probably accuse you of having used your first order to keep him busy while you're spending time with your boyfriend."

Izzy nodded. "What he said."

Alec sighed. "You're probably right. It'll be best to continue as planned."

Izzy patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, big brother. Your new personal assistant will keep you busy enough."

Her brother grimaced. "Don't remind me."

Magnus pushed back the covers and got out of bed. "Why don't we go to the kitchen and have breakfast? It will help get your mind off those unpleasant things."

Alec nodded.

Izzy gave her brother a quick hug. "I'll see you this afternoon then. Enjoy your time of freedom until then!"

Alec returned the hug and then watched as Izzy waved goodbye to Magnus and left. When he heard the apartment door open and close again, he looked at Magnus. "So, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes?" Magnus offered with a hopeful smile.


	37. Chapter 37

And pancakes it had been. With honey and fresh apple slices.

Now they were both in the bathroom to get ready for the day. They'd brushed their teeth already and Magnus had gotten out the skin care products for the face when a thought struck him. "Alexander?"

His boyfriend looked over, electrical razor in hand. "Yes, Magnus?"

"Does your offer to give me a shave still stand? Not with that thing," he gestured towards the device in Alexander's hand, "but a traditional one?"

Alexander put the razor down and smiled. "Sure." They'd moved the stool to the side once it was clear that Magnus could stand on his own again. The stool wasn't really suited for their plans anyway, though. Alexander left the bathroom for a few moments and returned with one of the straight-backed kitchen chairs which he placed in front of the sink. He gestured for his boyfriend to sit down.

Magnus did and smiled in anticipation of the treatment he was about to receive. While he knew that an electrical razor got the job done there was just something about being shaved with a straight razor that appealed to him.

He watched Alexander take out the razor and test the blade that Magnus had sharpened recently: It still cut cleanly through a hair held up between two fingers. Good.

Alexander pulled out the strop next and gave the blade its final edge the way his boyfriend had taught him. "Are you ready?" he asked Magnus.

"Of course, Alexander." In fact, Magnus felt like he could barely wait for his boyfriend to begin the process of shaving him. He considered it very relaxing, despite – or maybe because – of the knowledge that he trusted someone enough to let them glide a very sharp blade over his face and throat.

Alexander placed one towel around Magnus' chest and shoulders and then soaked a smaller one in hot water, wrung it out and carefully wrapped it around his boyfriend's face: the middle of the towel under and on his chin and both ends folded over his cheeks, so the whole beard was covered.

Magnus closed his eyes and enjoyed the heat on his skin. A few moments later, he could hear Alexander whisking shaving soap into a lather. A faint scent of peppermint hit his nostrils and intensified with time.

After several minutes, Alexander removed the moist towel from Magnus' face and began to work the lather into his boyfriend's beard with a shaving brush.

Magnus hummed in appreciation.

Once Magnus' cheeks, chin and throat were covered in thick white lather, Alexander scooped some of the white substance off the brush with a finger and carefully rubbed it into his boyfriend's mustache. When he was satisfied with the result, he washed his hands and the brush thoroughly.

The minty scent was all around him now, and the lather felt slightly cool on his face. Once more, Magnus was very glad that Alexander had been all too willing to learn about some finer things in life – like a traditional shave.

*

Alec left the lather on his boyfriend's face for several minutes. He'd been taught that the hair needed to be softened a little before it could be shaved off. Since he didn't want to just stand there and wait, he went to open the bedroom window and fetched another towel.

Once he was back inside the bathroom, he took his place behind the chair and encouraged Magnus to lean back his head a little. Placing the fingers of one hand on his boyfriend's cheekbone, he scraped away a stripe of the lather with the blade in his hand, the edge never touching skin.

Alec wiped the blade on the towel the way Magnus had shown him, before he gently pulled the skin on Magnus' cheek taut and carefully let the edge of the blade glide over it at an angle, leaving only smooth skin behind.

*

Magnus closed his eyes and sighed. He absolutely loved this. The way Alexander manipulated the position of his head with gentle pressure from his fingers. The removal of the lather, the slight stretch to the skin and then the soft glide of the blade. His boyfriend had nicked his skin only once, the very first time he handled the razor. Alexander had been a quick study.

So Magnus felt perfectly safe under his boyfriend's hands and just relaxed. He made sure to keep very still though when the blade reached the area around his Adam's apple, knowing from experience that that part of skin was somewhat tricky to shave. Alexander mastered that challenge superbly, however, and continued on to the other cheek.

*

Once Magnus' cheeks were smooth again, Alec carefully shaved the contours of the circle beard his boyfriend liked to wear, making sure to keep it absolutely symmetrical.

It took him a while, since he'd never seen Magnus with his facial hair this long and had some trouble identifying which hairs needed to go and which needed to stay to achieve the look his boyfriend favored. In the end, though, he was quite satisfied with the result.

Alec took out a comb and used it and the razor to trim the remaining hairs to an identical length, making the beard look even more accurate.

"So, what do you think?" he asked his boyfriend when he was done.

*

Magnus straightened on his chair and opened his eyes. What he saw in the mirror pleased him immensely: while the sides of the circle beard may have been a tiny bit narrower than when he himself shaped it, the overall look was almost perfect.

He studied his boyfriend's face in the mirror: Alexander looked hopeful and nervous at the same time and was still holding comb and blade – to be able to comply with any wishes for corrections, Magnus assumed. He smiled at his boyfriend. "That looks great. Thank you, Alexander." Magnus could hear his boyfriend breathe a sigh of relief at those words.

"You're welcome, Magnus. I'm just very glad that you're happy." The relief was audible in Alexander's voice. "Now lean back again."

Magnus obliged with a smile and sighed when his boyfriend wrapped the warm, moist towel around his face again for a few minutes.

*

Alec thoroughly cleaned the razor and comb and packed both items away. Then he picked up two unlabeled bottles from the bathroom cabinet and placed them on the sink.

"I'm going to remove the towel now," he warned Magnus, since his boyfriend still had his eyes closed.

A wordless hum was all the reply he received.

Stepping behind the chair again and grasping the towel with both hands, Alec gently kneaded the cheeks and jaw before he used the moist fabric to wipe away all traces of lather. The towel went into the hamper, and Alec picked up the first bottle. It contained a special mixture Magnus had made to disinfect the skin after shaving. It smelled faintly of sandalwood.

He poured some of the liquid into his hand, put the bottle down and rubbed his hands first together and then all over the shaved skin, making sure to keep his touch soft and to stay clear of Magnus' eyes.

Magnus hummed again and kept his eyes closed.

Alec washed his hands and corked the bottle again. The second bottle contained a special moisturizing lotion Magnus had developed to soothe the skin after shaving. Alec opened that bottle, let a dollop of the lightly scented lotion drop into his open palm and set the bottle aside.

He made sure to distribute the lotion evenly between his hands before he began to gently massage it into Magnus' cheeks, chin, jaw and throat. The skin under his fingers felt silky and soft.

*

There was another change to their morning bathroom routine when, after watching Alec use the electrical razor to get rid of his own beard, Magnus insisted that he was well enough today to take a quick shower instead of a bath.

"You can share the shower with me if you're worried I'll collapse halfway through," he told his boyfriend with a wink.

Alec stripped to his skin immediately and held the door of the shower stall open for Magnus. "After you," he told him.

Magnus walked over, hips swaying slightly, and stepped into the shower. He looked back at his boyfriend over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"Of course," Alec replied with a grin, followed Magnus into the shower stall and closed the glass door behind himself.

*

Taking a shower had quickly turned into making out, but they managed to also wash each other before they stepped out of the shower again. They helped each other dry off and got dressed for the day.

"What's next on your list of jobs and orders?" Alec asked Magnus as they left the bedroom.

"I need to let Mr. Weaver know that his potion is ready and he can drop by to pick it up. Then we should really make the special burn salve for the vampires," Magnus told him after thinking about it for a moment.

"Okay. Is there anything I can prepare for the salve while you make that call?"

"You could feed the cats. It's not their usual feeding time yet, but making this salve will take a while and I don't want them to sit on the balcony waiting for food for what may turn into hours."

Alec nodded. "Alright, I'll take care of it. I'll meet you in the kitchen afterwards?"

"Exactly," Magnus said, already dialing his client's number.

*

When Alec returned to the kitchen after putting fresh food and water out on the balcony, Magnus had placed a large heap of fresh aloe leaves on the table.

"Where did you get _fresh_ leaves?" he asked his boyfriend with a frown.

Magnus smiled at him. "I bought this batch in preparation for making the generous amount of burn salve the vampires need. The few aloe leaves I usually keep in store – under a stasis spell – wouldn't have been enough for that. Remember that short trip I had to go on? I was in India, doing some ward work for a client I've known for a long time, and I used this opportunity to buy the fresh aloe leaves a lot cheaper than I would get them here. As soon as I arrived home, I preserved them as well."

That explanation made the frown vanish. "Alright. What do we do with your Indian aloe leaves?"

"We cut them up to get to the gel inside," Magnus informed him. "I'll show you how." He retrieved two cutting boards and knives, as well as a big bowl and two smaller ones, and brought everything over to the table.

Alec helped his boyfriend distribute the items between them. Then he watched as Magnus took one aloe leave and cut off a two-inch chunk.

"Now, the gel is inside the leaves. It is a lot easier to get it out if you work with smaller pieces," Magnus explained. "You start by carefully removing the small teeth at the edges of the leave," he went on, putting his words into action immediately. "Then you hold the piece over the small bowl to avoid leaking gel all over the table. Peel off the green layer like this," Magnus made sure to move slowly so Alec could see every step, "and scrape the gel into the bowl." Magnus did so and threw the green bits he'd cut off into a bucket under the table that Alec hadn't even noticed until right then. "When the small bowl is full, dump it into the large one. That should be big enough to hold all the gel these leaves can give us."

"Okay. I think I can do that," Alec told his boyfriend as he sat down in front of the second cutting board. He picked up an aloe leave, cut off a piece and repeated the steps his boyfriend had shown him. A tiny bit of gel escaped onto the cutting board, but Alec just scraped it off with the knife and put it into the bowl as well.

*

It took them almost two hours to extract the gel from all the aloe leaves and then put it through the blender cup by cup to achieve a homogenous, viscous mass. The sheer amount made Alec wonder how often vampires managed to suffer burns. Shouldn't they learn pretty quickly that the sun was no longer their friend? Or would the next step be to boil down the gel for the salve as they'd done with the potion?

His musings were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Alec looked at Magnus who'd gotten up and was washing his hands at the sink. "Is that your client?"

"That's probably Mr. Weaver, yes. I can't very well greet him while my fingers are smeared with aloe gel," Magnus replied.

Alec took Magnus' place at the sink as soon as his boyfriend had dried his hands and was moving towards the fridge. "Do you want me to greet your client with you? Or would you prefer I stay hidden?" He could always go into the guestroom and wait until the client had left again, after all.

"Alexander, I would love to show you off to all my clients, but I think it would be better if you weren't seen by Mr. Weaver. He's a Sighted mundane, and his job as an apothecary specializing in rare and pricey ingredients gives him lots of contact with the Shadow World. It wouldn't do for him to tell his customers that Magnus Bane has a Shadowhunter at his beck and call. Your reputation as Head of Institute might suffer."

The doorbell rang again, the sound conveying impatience.

"I'm COMING!" Magnus shouted, although there was no chance his client down on the sidewalk would actually hear him.

Alec dried his hands and kissed his boyfriend's temple. "Don't worry, I'll just go into the bedroom. Let me know when your client has left again."

"Thank you, Alexander." Magnus took the specially marked flask of Virility Potion mixed with antidote from the fridge and went to buzz the client in as his boyfriend vanished into the guest bedroom.

*

Magnus looked down his body as he waited for his client to walk up the stairs. Dark blue jeans and a light grey button-down shirt were not quite his usual style when greeting clients, but he _had_ informed Mr. Weaver of the fact that he was sick, so the man would have to deal with it. He'd styled his hair but foregone the makeup. Without his magic to fix it in place, his sweat and the steam rising from the pot during brewing would only cause the colors to run and smear.

When Mr. Weaver reached the topmost step, he was panting heavily. Magnus kept his face neutral but privately shook his head. The man was in his late forties and slightly overweight, but the color of his face and his harsh, gasping breaths were clear indicators that he'd hurried up the steps. Was he really that desperate to get his potion? Of course, Magnus mused, no man liked the thought of being impotent, much less the reality. However, the difference between almost running up the stairs and walking at a more sedate pace couldn't be more than a few minutes.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Weaver," Magnus greeted his client. "I'm glad you could make time to come by on such short notice."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bane." The man's words were a lot friendlier than his tone. "After yesterday's conversation I hadn't expected your call today. I thought you were too sick to brew?" The way Mr. Weaver let his gaze travel up and down Magnus' body said 'You don't look sick at all' as clearly as if his client had said the words.

"I was, and I'm still not fully recovered." Magnus ignored the doubtful look the man gave him at that. "Since several clients were waiting for their orders, I had to hire an assistant to take over the more tedious tasks of preparing ingredients so I could concentrate on the brewing process itself."

"An assistant?" Jeffrey Weaver asked, outraged. "I ordered my potion from you because of _your_ reputation. I don't want something an assistant concocted and I sure as hell won't pay for a master's work and accept that of an assistant!"

Magnus sighed, clinging to the remnants of his patience. "Mr. Weaver, as I just said: the assistant prepared the ingredients for me – under constant supervision. They were not directly involved in the brewing process. This potion," he gestured towards the flask in his hand, "was brewed by _me_ and has the same high quality that my work is known for."

He paused, giving his client a moment to take the information in. "So, if you want this flask, you will pay the price we agreed on when I took your order. If you are no longer willing to pay that price, I'm sure I will find another buyer for the potion." Magnus lowered the hand with the flask and shifted his weight backwards slightly, trying to make it look like an involuntary movement born from the assumption that the client was no longer interested.

Jeffrey Weaver stepped forward and reached out with one hand. "No, wait! I want the potion! I _need_ the potion!"

Magnus looked at the man, one eyebrow raised. Of course he knew that Mr. Weaver really needed the potion – or rather, the antidote. Not only because the man had informed him of all the treatments he'd tried already – in vain – but because one of Magnus' potions was the reason for Mr. Weaver's impotence. There was but the one way to counteract that potion. Not that he'd told his client that.

Still, he wasn't willing to just give away something he and Alexander had worked hard on. If Mr. Weaver wanted to be able to enjoy sexual relations again, he would have to pay the price they had agreed upon when Magnus had accepted the order.

When there was no further reaction from Magnus, Jeffrey Weaver sighed and fumbled his wallet out of his back pocket. He rummaged around between the bills, grumbling something of which Magnus only understood the words 'expensive' and 'long wait'.

Magnus was fed up with this man's nonsense. "Mr. Weaver, I'm sorry you had to wait longer than anticipated, but I most certainly didn't _choose_ to contract Warlock Cold. While I do understand your wish to be rid of your… problem… as soon as possible I have absolutely no patience for complaints about the price of my work. Especially after I even hired an assistant to be able to complete your order before I'm fully healed. While that raises my expenses significantly, _I_ never questioned the price we agreed on."

His client seemed to shrink slightly and finally held out several crumpled bills.

Magnus took the money, smoothed and counted it.

"Are you accusing me of trying to trick you?" Mr. Weaver asked, red-faced.

"Of course not, Mr. Weaver," Magnus told the man with one raised eyebrow. "I'm surprised you, as a fellow businessman, would even consider accepting payment without making sure it's the right amount. Besides, you didn't say whether you handed me the exact price or still get some change."

Jeffrey Weaver chewed on his cheek and said nothing.

Once he'd made sure his client had paid the full price for the potion, Magnus handed the flask over. "If you take the potion tonight, after dinner, it will have taken effect by tomorrow morning," he informed Mr. Weaver. "You may feel a hot flash or two during the night as the potion solves your problem."

"Tonight?" Mr. Weaver exclaimed. "Why should I wait until tonight? And why does it take so long to take effect?"

Magnus gave the man a curious look. "Because a system as complex as the male reproductive organs can't be restored to full function with a simple remedy. It takes several hours and a considerable amount of energy until the potion has run its course through your body. You will have full sexual function back by tomorrow morning, however, so I don't see your problem."

"You don't see my problem?" the man asked, incredulous. "I've been… like this for almost two months now. _Two months!!_ I'm meeting my gi… partner for dinner tonight. How would you feel?"

Magnus pretended to consider the question while he worked hard to get his amusement under control and keep it from showing. "Pretty pent up, probably," he finally admitted. "I hope, however, that I'd be sensible enough to enjoy dinner with my partner, maybe go for a romantic walk in the park afterwards and then wait for my partner to fall asleep in my arms before I take the potion. Then I'd be somewhat tired and uncomfortable during the night and might have trouble sleeping, but by morning, when my partner wakes up, I'd most likely be up and ready for more."

He gave his client a moment to digest that information. "Although I will certainly not keep you from taking the potion _now_ and spending all afternoon and evening tired and in misery in hopes of being able to perform again around midnight – if your partner puts up with your bad mood until then."

Mr. Weaver flushed, grumbled and left without saying goodbye.

Magnus waited until he could hear the front door close behind the man before he stepped back into his apartment and walked to the guest room.


	38. Chapter 38

Alec was still chuckling when they reached the kitchen again. The client's desperation, coupled with the knowledge of his cheating, was too funny. "Won't his wife return to her plans of castrating him, though, when she realizes he's no longer impotent?" he asked his boyfriend.

Magnus shrugged. "Probably. It's not my fault he's learnt nothing from this experience."

That made Alec think of someone else who hadn't learnt from his mistakes… "Magnus? How expensive is that impotence potion you brewed for his wife?"

Magnus' eyebrows rose. "Very expensive. Why are you asking?"

Alec mumbled a reply that vaguely sounded like "mmph".

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"My father," Alec repeated just loud enough to be heard, and immediately continued. "I know I shouldn't even be thinking this and he'd say it's none of my business but he _cheated_ on mom, and not just once. Now they're separated and Mom is sad and I just… call me petty or vindictive but I kind of like the idea that he can't… you know… with his newest girlfriend." He blushed and sighed. "It's a moot point anyway since I don't have that kind of money."

"Ah, but you have a very generous and capable boyfriend," Magnus replied with a smirk. "Who also does not like cheaters."

Alec gave his boyfriend a hopeful look. "So there's a chance I could convince my very generous and capable boyfriend to brew an impotence potion at a price I can actually afford?" he asked. "I'll gladly chop ingredients again for that, too."

His eagerness made Magnus chuckle. "You don't need to convince me, Alexander. As I said, I don't like cheaters. We can brew that potion as soon as I've made up the lost time and fulfilled all those orders I'm overdue on." He leaned up and kissed his boyfriend gently on the lips. "Which means we need to make the burn salve," he said as he pulled back again.

"Burn salve, right." Alec had enjoyed that kiss, but there would hopefully be time for that later. Now they needed to work on the salve. Preferably without further interruptions. Or… "Wait, we should eat something before we continue."

Magnus gave him a startled look before he nodded. "Yes we should. There isn't much room to cook something, though."

Alec shrugged. "Then we'll just eat some toast and maybe some of the fruits Mom sent me." He was already retrieving plates and cutlery from the kitchen cabinets.

*

Once they'd cleared away the dishes, Alec turned towards his boyfriend. "What do we do next?"

"Now that we've refueled, so to speak, we prepare the oils that go into the salve," Magnus told him. "We're lucky I'd planned to make the salve the day after my visit with Catarina. I already have all the fresh ingredients here, under stasis spells."

He gestured for his boyfriend to follow him

They entered the storeroom together, and Magnus handed Alec two filled baskets to take to the kitchen while he carried the third.

It took them two more trips before Magnus declared they now had everything they needed.

Alec decided that that was very good to know, since every kitchen surface except the stove was now covered in bottles or baskets. He watched his boyfriend place three large pots on the stove. "What are those for?"

"We need these for the oil," Magnus told him.

"What oil?" Alec wanted to know.

"The burn salve contains marigold," he pointed to a basket of fresh orange blossoms, "plantain," he indicated a basket of fresh leaves –, broad, shiny, light-green – "and comfrey," he gestured towards the last basket, which also contained fresh broad leaves. Those were hairy though, and of a darker green. "We can't just throw those blossoms and leaves into the salve, though," Magnus continued to explain. "We need to extract their essence. We do that by boiling them in virgin olive oil."

Well, that explained the many bottles of oil, then. Alec looked from the bottles to the baskets to the pots. "So, we just throw the blossoms and leaves into those pots, pour oil over them and boil the mixture?"

"Not quite," Magnus informed him. "Three plants, three pots. We do not mix the plants. This," his gesture encompassed the baskets and bottles, "will yield more oil then we need for the salve. I will bottle the rest of the oils and keep them in storage for the future."

Alec frowned. "If you routinely keep those oils in storage, why don't we just take bottles from storage for the salve?"

"Well, I guess it's just the way my luck runs that I'm out of two of the oils entirely and don't have enough of the third left for this batch of salve. At least I'd already bought all the ingredients or we would have had to send someone shopping."

Alec nodded. That made sense.

Magnus handed his boyfriend the basket of comfrey leaves. "Pour a bit of oil into the pot, throw a layer of leaves on top, add some oil, add some leaves, and so on," he instructed.

Alec did as he'd been told and saw from the corner of his eye Magnus do the same with the plantain.

*

The oil in all three pots was happily boiling, and Magnus was busy stirring in periodic intervals.

Alec had returned the empty baskets to the storeroom and cleaned the cutting boards and knives. Now he was just watching his boyfriend. "How long do you need to boil the oil?" he wanted to know.

"About an hour," Magnus informed him. "There is a much slower process, but I don't often have the time to use it. Most orders are too urgent for it."

"Slower than boiling for an hour?"

"Yes. One hour really isn't all that long, Alexander. The other method doesn't involve any boiling."

"It doesn't?"

Magnus shook his head. "No. If I had the time, I could leave the leaves or blossoms in a pot of oil in a warm and sunny location for several weeks or maybe months, depending on the season. It would serve the same purpose as the boiling."

Well, alright, That was a lot slower than boiling for an hour. Speaking of which… "Do you need me here while the oil is boiling?"

"Not really, no. Why?" Magnus looked at his boyfriend over his shoulder, still stirring.

"It's afternoon already. If I pack my things right now and leave them next to the door, I can spend the time until I need to return to the Institute helping you with the salve," Alec explained.

Magnus glanced at the clock and scowled. "You may help me bottle the oil later, but then we need to take care of your appearance, Alexander. Don't pack your good clothes though, I haven't decided yet what you're going to wear."

" _You_ haven't deci—" Alec sputtered. "I'm just going to wear my usual clothes!"

Magnus shook his head decisively. "No, you're not. I promised Jace that you would look your best this afternoon. I alwayss keep my promises. Which means that _I_ will help you choose the proper attire."

"Magnus, I've been dressing myself for years, and it's always been good enough for the other Shadowhunters," Alec tried to convince his boyfriend.

"Maybe, but this is the first time you're getting a personal assistant, isn't it? Don't you want to make a good impression?" Magnus wheedled.

"Not really," Alec grumbled. "I want her to take one look at me, reconsider her decision to come out of retirement, turn around on her heel and walk right back through the portal she came from."

"I'm not sure I can make you look _that_ hideous," Magnus mused. "Not even with all the makeup in my bathroom cabinet. Or, what's left of it." He didn't know how much damage there had been to the cabinets, but there was a certain risk he'd need to get new supplies.

That made Alec chuckle. "Yeah. It also wouldn't do my reputation or my career any favors. I guess I actually need to make a good first impression."

Magnus smiled at him. "And you will. You could use the time while this," he gestured towards the pots, "boils to give yourself another shave, Alexander. You're sporting a 5 o'clock shadow again."

Alec sighed and rubbed one hand across his chin and cheek. He could feel the slightest stubble under his fingers. Magnus was right, he'd better take care of that.

*

Magnus had, with Alexander's help, poured all three pots of oil through a strainer – one after the other, of course – to remove the plants. Now three pots of oil were slowly cooling in the kitchen.

Alexander had shaved, taken a quick shower and packed most of his things. Right now, Alexander was wearing nothing but a towel, and Magnus was contemplating the contents of his boyfriend's wardrobe.

He would have loved to dress Alexander in some of his own, more elegant clothes, but without the use of his magic, he couldn't adjust those to fit his boyfriend's longer limbs. Which meant he would have to find something suitable in Alexander's part of the wardrobe.

He finally settled on black dress pants, a new black button-down shirt, a black leather jacket and Alexander's combat boots. Magnus would have loved to introduce his boyfriend to the wonders of fashionable foot wear but Alexander had so far been adamant about being combat ready at all times and convinced the combat boots were the only way to achieve that.

Magnus watched Alexander get dressed and frowned slightly. "We should do something about your hair as well. It would probably look better with a bit of gel in it."

"What? My hair's always been fine without gel!" Alexander claimed as he was doing up the buttons of his shirt.

"Yes, but it could look even better with a tiny bit of gel," Magnus insisted. "I won't use much."

Alexander sighed. "Alright, let me get dressed all the way and you can put that gel in my hair."

Magnus aimed a beaming smile at his boyfriend.

*

Alec was sitting on the stool in front of the sink and looking in the mirror. To him, his hair looked just fine and no different than any other day. He wasn't sure if he should look forward to or dread the result of Magnus using gel on him.

Right now, his boyfriend was standing behind him and combing his hands through the dark hair – without gel so far – tugging the strands this way and that way.

"Are you trying to make me bald?" Alec asked after a particularly hard tug.

"What? No, of course not. I'm sorry, Alexander." Magnus loosened his grip. "I'm just trying to decide what looks best on you. And I think I know where to start now."

Alec watched Magnus open the cabinet that contained most of his makeup now and take out a small brush. His eyebrows shot up. "I didn't agree to any makeup!"

Magnus gave him a confused look before chuckling. "And I don't intend to apply any makeup to you – although I must say I'd love to do it some time." He held out the small brush for his boyfriend's inspection. " _This_ is an eyebrow brush. It is used to shape – and sometimes apply some eyebrow mascara to – the eyebrows. I'm going to use it and a drop of gel to brush your eyebrows into shape."

" _My eyebrows?_ " Alec gasped in wide-eyed surprise. "My eyebrows are in shape!"

"No, love, they're not. They're in desperate need of a trim and some shaping." Magnus' look turned thoughtful. "Actually… the brush may not be the best tool to start with…"

"Not the best— Magnus, what are you planning to do?" Alec's voice was laced with dread.

Magnus took a pair of tweezers from the cabinet and turned back around to his boyfriend. "It's nothing _bad_ , Alexander. Your eyebrows are just growing every which way and they'd look so much better if the lines were more defined."

Alec didn't feel the least bit reassured by those words. He did like the way his boyfriend's eyebrows looked, of course, but that didn't mean he was in favor of Magnus doing the Angel knows what with his eyebrows.

"Just relax, Alexander. You're going to love the result," Magnus told his boyfriend as he stepped closer.

Alec still had his doubts about that. "Magnus, I'm not so sure that's a good idea… I mean, I still want to look like _me_ when you're done."

Magnus stopped his approach. "I won't do this if you really don't want me to, but you would still look like yourself when I'm done. It's just… if I pluck out a few hairs that are between your eyebrows and over or under your actual brows, the eyebrows themselves will look better and more defined." He waited a moment for his boyfriend to think about that. "What do you want me to do?"

Alec sighed. "Will people notice the difference?"

"Will they notice that you look especially good today? I sincerely hope so, because otherwise I'd have to have done an abysmal job at styling you. Will everyone and their mother be able to tell which hairs I plucked out and which I shortened? Most definitely not." Magnus walked around his boyfriend until he was standing behind him. "They will probably notice that you're dressed a bit more elegantly than most days and that your hair looks different – although they might not realize the latter since they haven't seen you in almost two weeks. Isabelle will notice the change though."

 _And she'll tease me about it_ , Alec added in his mind. He could live with that though. It wouldn't be the first thing his sister would tease him about, and it probably wouldn't be the last either. His sister also wasn't the one whose reaction he was worried about. Izzy would most likely tease him in private only and be supportive in public. Alec just didn't want to give those who doubted his experience and abilities any fodder.

"Your eyebrows will also grow back. Not as quickly as your beard, but they will. That means the change won't be permanent. You're facing the mirror, so you can follow every move I make and stop me whenever you decide it's enough," Magnus tried to convince his boyfriend.

It took a few more moments for Alec to make up his mind. "Alright, do your worst then," he told his boyfriend.

Magnus grinned at him in the mirror. "I'd much rather do my best, Alexander." He walked forward again and switched on the lights above the mirror before he took his position next to his boyfriend. After making sure that Alec had a clear view of the mirror, Magnus leaned forward to gently pull the skin between his boyfriend's eyebrows taut and pluck out the first stray hair.

"Ouch!" Alec exclaimed when the hair was pulled from his skin. It wasn't extremely painful, but the sensation had surprised him. It didn't get better with the next few, though. On the contrary, the pain seemed to spread and intensify. "Magnus, are you sure – ah! – that this is necessary?"

"You'll like the way you look afterwards," Magnus insisted and kept plucking. He stayed true to his word not to change the shape of the eyebrows themselves and just removed the hairs around them.

Alec watched his boyfriend's progress in the mirror. He felt tempted to call an end to the experiment several times but couldn't bring himself to say the words. Magnus seemed so… so happy that he was letting him do this.

*

Magnus turned his boyfriend's face this way and that to make sure that both eyebrows were absolutely symmetrical. "Done!" he finally stated, taking a small step back, and waited for Alec's reaction.

His boyfriend frowned at the sight in the mirror: his eyebrows looked fine at first glance, but there was a horizontal stripe of angry red skin over his eyes. "Magnus! The skin's all red and swollen now! I can't go out like this!"

Magnus looked a little chagrined. "Yes, your skin didn't quite agree with the hair removal. I'd forgotten that this can happen the first few times. The redness will recede soon, though."

Alec didn't feel the least bit reassured. "Soon? How soon? I can't greet my new personal assistant looking like this!"

"Normally I'd just put a healing spell on you to return the skin color back to normal. That probably isn't a good idea right now. As far as I know, there's no information on how long a warlock has to be free of symptoms until they regain control of their magic." Magnus sounded apologetic.

Alec sighed. "No, don't try to use your magic, Magnus. I'll take care of it." He retrieved his stele from his back pocket, lifted his shirt and activated his _iratze_. A moment later, there was no more trace of redness around his eyebrows. Strictly speaking, a healing rune might have been overkill for something as inconsequential as a patch of irritated skin, but Alec wasn't intending to tell anyone about it. He sure as hell wasn't going to make a spectacle of himself the day his personal assistant arrived!

"Will you still let me complete your styling?" Magnus wanted to know. "I promise that the rest of the procedure won't cause any more problems or adverse skin reactions."

Alec looked up at his boyfriend's hopeful face and realized he didn't want to disappoint Magnus. Besides, he was kind of curious what look his boyfriend was going to choose for him…

Magnus picked up a comb and small scissors and leaned forward again.

Alec shifted his weight backwards at the same time. "What are you planning to do with those?" he wanted to know.

"Some of those hairs are a little long and unruly and I intend to trim them," Magnus explained, his tone suggesting that it should be obvious.

Alec tried to keep the scissors in view as they approached his face, but soon realized that such efforts were futile. He shifted his glance towards the mirror instead.

Magnus combed the hairs of one eyebrow into the right direction and then began to shorten all hairs that escaped the intended shape. Once he was satisfied with the results, he repeated the process for the other brow.

Alec had wanted to watch it all but had closed his eyes once the first bits of hair dropped to his cheeks. The last thing he needed was for one of those hairs to fall into his eye and irritate it.

*

A gentle touch to his cheek startled Alec.

"Relax, Alexander. I'm just wiping away the bits of hair," Magnus explained as he carefully cleaned up his boyfriend's face with a moist cloth. "There, all gone."

Alec opened his eyes and looked at his reflection critically. He didn't see _that_ much of a difference to before. Which was probably good, since he didn't want every Shadowhunter in the Institute to know at first glance what was different. Closer inspection made him realize that his eyebrows looked neater now, with defined edges.

"Do you like it?" Magnus asked when his boyfriend only contemplated his work in silence.

Alec looked up at Magnus. "It's… strange. I mean, the difference isn't as big as I had feared, but it's there and my eyebrows have just never looked like this."

Magnus took another critical look at the result of his work. "Your eyebrows look really good, though. You should let me do this more often."

Alec reached out one hand to guide his boyfriend's hand to his lips and kiss the palm. "I think I kind of like it, too. It might take me some time to get used to, though."

"Mmmmh," Magnus shivered at the contact of soft lips to the sensitive skin of his palm. He would have loved to see where this might lead them, but they didn't have much time left and he'd promised Jace that he'd make sure Alec looked his best when meeting Ms. Blackhawk. He gently pulled free of his boyfriend's hold and exchanged the comb and scissors for gel and eyebrow brush. Holding both items out for Alec to see, he asked "Will you let me fix your eyebrows' shape with a hint of gel?"

Alec hesitated for a moment and then nodded. He watched as Magnus squeezed a tiny amount of gel onto the small brush and leaned closer. A few seconds later, Alec felt the soft stroking motions of the brush first on one eyebrow and then on the other. It felt kind of nice.

Magnus worked the gel into both eyebrows, careful not to leave any visible strings or clumps between hairs. "Perfect," he finally announced. Now the eyebrows would stay in shape. "Hair next?" he wanted to know.

Leaning closer to the mirror, Alec quickly decided that nobody would notice the gel on his eyebrows. Hell, _he_ couldn't see the gel on his eyebrows in the mirror. Izzy would probably be the exception. Magnus' question made Alec fish his phone from his pocket and check the time. "Only if it won't take too long," he told his boyfriend. "I need to leave in about 20 minutes if I want to make it to the Institute by four."

"That's more than enough time for me to do your hair!" Magnus announced, relieved. He put a dollop of gel into his palm, rubbed his hands together for a few moments and then stepped behind his boyfriend and buried his fingers in the dark strands.

To Alec, the way Magnus' hands brushed through his hair almost felt like a light massage. Not as good as having his hair washed would feel, but very nice.

Magnus made sure to keep the sides sleek and flat and mostly concentrated on the hair on top of his boyfriend's head, arranging it into a semblance of wild disarray that gave Alec a windswept look and also emphasized the slight waves in the dark hair.

"What's your verdict, Alexander?" Magnus asked as he lifted his hands away from his boyfriend's head.

Alec took in his reflection, turning his head side-to-side, before he answered. "It looks really good. Thank you, Magnus."

"You're welcome," Magnus told him with a beaming smile. He stepped forward to wash his hands. "And we're still on time, I think."

A quick glance at his phone told Alec that his boyfriend was right. He stood up and pulled Magnus, who was just drying his hands, towards him and into a slow kiss.

*

Their kiss had almost turned into another makeout session, but Magnus had stopped his boyfriend, claiming that he wasn't going to risk ruining the hard work he'd done on Alec's styling.

Now they were standing near the apartment door. Alec had his duffel bag over one shoulder but was reluctant to leave. It wasn't even that he was worried Magnus might suffer another relapse. That thought was there of course, at the back of his mind. No, he just wanted to spend some more time with the man he loved. He also dreaded meeting his intern and his personal assistant and would have preferred to postpone the moment he'd have to take responsibility of them further.

"What about the burn salve?" he asked Magnus in the vague hope to delay his departure a little. "Who's going to help you finish that?"

Magnus smiled at him. "No one. It really isn't all that difficult, Alexander. All the hard work is already done. Now I just need to measure and mix the ingredients."

Alec frowned. "Are the aloe gel and those three oils all you need to create extra-strong burn salve for the vampires?" Somehow that didn't sound right to him. After all, fire and especially sunlight were a _little_ more dangerous to vampires than to your average human being.

Magnus chuckled. "No, of course not. Otherwise anyone could mix the burn salve and they wouldn't pay _me_ for my special mixture. We're done with the heavy lifting and the chopping, though." When Alec's face remained doubtful, he elaborated a little. "I'm going to melt beeswax – slowly and carefully in a bain-marie – and then add the oils, the gel and my secret ingredient, mix it all together and scoop it into jars. Et voilà!"

"Secret ingredient?" Alec's curiosity was piqued.

"Well, yes." Magnus looked up at his boyfriend with one raised eyebrow and a smirk on his lips. "As I said, if making this burn salve was easy, the vampires wouldn't pay – and pay very well, I might add – for my product. The salve needs a small amount of a special ingredient I invented. Making it requires some rare plants and a lot of magic. Since the production process is rather complicated, I always make a large batch and keep several bottles in storage. Luckily, I still have enough of that concoction to finish the salve. Who knows how long it'll take until I'm up for a working this complex again… Anyway," he leaned up and kissed Alec gently on the lips, " _you_ need to go or your personal assistant might arrive before you. Text or call me tonight and let me know how bad this diplomat is."

Alec would have loved to prolong the kiss, but Magnus was right. He'd told Jace he'd be there by four, so he needed to leave. With a sigh, he rubbed their noses together for a moment. "I'll miss you tonight, Magnus. I love you."

"And I love you and will miss you as well, Alexander."


	39. Chapter 39

_Epilogue_

Magnus took a deep breath and walked through the loft one more time to check the door and the windows. Everything was still shut and locked against anyone who wasn't on his wards' safe list, just as it had been on his other two circuits. Taking out his phone, he made sure the clock in the living room was showing the right time. Alexander would arrive in about fifteen minutes. It was almost time.

He'd been free of symptoms for four days now. Alexander had gone back to the Institute a little over three days ago. They had all tried to find more information about how long it took for a warlock to regain control of their magic once they'd survived Warlock Cold, but hadn't found anything. Apparently, Shadowhunters hadn't deemed it noteworthy – if they'd ever even known – and at least the warlock books Magnus had browsed through in the last three days didn't contain the information either.

For a little while, Magnus had hoped for some kind of signal from his body, a change in how his magic felt to him, to tell him that this particular symptom of the disease was finally gone as well. This morning he'd decided, however, that it wasn't sensible or productive to just keep waiting. There was no guarantee he was going to _feel_ the right moment to use his magic again.

So he'd carefully planned the first attempt at doing magic in over two weeks: Magnus didn't want anyone else to suffer if there were adverse side effects to him using magic. Catarina would have been able to protect herself, but there was also no information on how long Warlock Cold stayed contagious, and there was a slight risk that he was infectious for as long as the effect on his magic lasted. Even a small risk was more than he was willing to accept. Therefore, he was going to try to use his magic at a time where he was sure nobody else was in the apartment.

Magnus wasn't reckless, though. He knew perfectly well that he might be injured if his magic wasn't back under control yet. His solution to the problem was to wait until about ten minutes before Alexander's scheduled arrival. That way, his boyfriend wouldn't be close enough to get hurt himself, but would arrive shortly afterwards and could help Magnus, if necessary.

Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants and taking another deep breath, Magnus entered his casting room. It was warded to withstand even the most powerful workings he'd ever encountered and should limit the damage any magical accidents might do to the building. He pinned the note to the door that would inform Alexander where to look for him in case the experiment went horribly wrong and then closed the door behind himself.

Magnus walked into the middle of the room and checked the time again. Eleven minutes until Alexander's arrival. It was time.

Taking deep, even breaths, Magnus counted slowly to ten, clearing his mind of all worries and fears and other thoughts that weren't needed right now. This was just about himself and his magic. Nothing else mattered right now.

Once he felt sufficiently calm, he spread his arms and wriggled his fingers, feeling for his magic. The tips of his fingers tingled, and when he looked at his hands he could see the sparkle of gathering magic. It felt good and right.

Magnus didn't intend to use a big spell for his experiment, so he stopped himself from seeing how much magic he was able to summon. Instead, he shaped a simple cleansing spell that he normally used to get the smell of brewing out of his rooms. A moment later he felt the slight breeze that told him the spell had worked as intended.

For a few seconds, Magnus remained motionless, unable to believe that it had worked. Then it hit him and his knees went weak and goose bumps rose on his skin. It had worked. He had his magic back! " _YES!_ " he roared, fist thrust into the air and head thrown back. Magnus knew he was grinning from ear to ear as he began a small victory dance. He just couldn't contain that feeling of happiness inside him. It needed some kind of outlet!

*

Alec opened the apartment door and entered, glad to be home. He may have officially moved back to the Institute as befitted the Head of said Institute, but his true home was right here with Magnus. Speaking of… "Magnus?"

There was no reply. That was strange. Alec took out his phone and checked the time. No, he wasn't early, this was the time they'd agreed to meet in the apartment. Where was his boyfriend?

Alec walked from room to room, but couldn't find Magnus. He was starting to get really worried when he saw the note on the door to the casting room. _In here, trying out my magic_ , it read. Alec froze. What? Magnus was trying out his magic right now? On his own?

Afraid for his boyfriend's life, Alec yanked open the door. "Magnus, are you alri— oh!"

He wasn't sure what exactly he'd expected to find, but Magnus, grinning maniacally and dancing through the room, singing "It's back, it's back, it's ba-hack!" had most definitely not been among the possible scenarios.

*

Magnus stopped short and turned around at the sound of Alexander's voice. Why hadn't he heard his boyfriend come into the apartment? The next moment he just barely managed to keep himself from slapping his palm to his forehead: He'd not just warded but also _soundproofed_ the room to make sure that nobody and nothing could interrupt his more complicated workings. _Of course_ he hadn't heard Alexander come home.

But since his boyfriend was here now… Magnus launched himself at Alexander, threw his arms around his boyfriend's neck and jumped up to wrap his legs around the slender hips. "It's back! My magic is back under my control!" he squealed before he leaned in for a heated kiss.

*

Alec was surprised by the sudden attack but managed to keep his balance by taking one step back. He moved one hand to support Magnus' butt and buried the other in his boyfriend's hair as he enjoyed the kiss.

He felt Magnus' hands move to his neck and into his hair and groaned at the tugging sensation. Knowing that his boyfriend wasn't just unharmed, but finally, finally truly well again, was such a relief it made his knees feel slightly weak.

Alec turned around and took a few steps until he could push Magnus against the wall and rest some of his own weight on it as well. This position had the added benefit of bringing their bodies even closer together. Both of them moaned, and Alec slowly trailed kisses down Magnus' jaw and throat.

Magnus' hands travelled to Alec's shoulders.

The next moment, Alec tensed and moaned loudly: Magnus had gathered some magic and used it to intensify the sensation of his touch on his boyfriend's skin.


	40. Chapter 40

_Annex_

 

Here are Izzy's notes on her patient

 

 

 

 

Recipe for the Trueblood Chest Rub


End file.
